I recently served as Chairman of the Guyana Fire Advisory Board and on many occasions issues and topics were debated and decisions made by members of the Board. My approach was to allow each member the opportunity to ventilate his/her opinion on a particular subject and then a decision was arrived at after voting by consensus. One particular exchange that I vividly remember was when the majority of board members voted against a particular recommendation that I had made and which I had felt strongly about. I had made my case and then other members were given an opportunity to make their contribution on the subject matter.
Several members made salient points which I had not considered and which made enough sense for me to capitulate and change my perspective on the topic. This is just a minor example of the value of dissenting views and arriving at decisions by consensus. On that board, my objective was to build a climate of respect, trust, and candour among board members and to allow members to feel free to challenge one another’s assumptions and conclusions.
Of course, the other side of the house is roofed with those individuals and leaders who prefer to run the “one man show” and be very intolerant and bumptious; much to his/her detriment and to those whom his decisions affect. He/she may surround him/herself with individuals in a group setting, but they are expected to be plastic and ductile and are nothing more than ornaments. Such peremptory persons miss out on the opportunity to make more sound and effective decisions and to broaden their intelligence and insight on issues and topics.
I believe that the problem is inborn and native; in that we do not support a culture of people disagreeing with a position adopted by a leader of an organization or group from early on in life (mostly to do with the way we have been socialized). Most young people are not encouraged or allowed to offer a dissenting perspective on issues affecting them and are often expected to behave in a rigid and inexpressive way. “It’s my way or the highway” or “children should be seen and not heard” are two very common adages which accurately represent the approach taken by parents and teachers towards our young people.
This culture is even common at the University of Guyana. My own experience as a student illuminated this; I can count the number of lecturers who encouraged debate and challenged students to disagree with his/her point of view. Those who dared to spark discussions and or offer nonconformist opinions did so at a very high risk and were often dubbed as “disruptive” or a “troublemaker.”
Life is a continuous learning process and we cannot be all-knowing, even the most erudite among us, and our positions and views which we hold dearly (and sometimes feel are incontestable and irrefutable) can be dissected and scrutinized by others (and sometimes from seemingly unexpected sources). I think that by understanding and acknowledging this as a principle, one is more forgiving and open to dissenters and can begin the journey towards making more effective decisions.
