Your Way or the Highway is No Way to Do Business

Part of growing as an entrepreneur is to listen and learn from others who have – or are – walking the walk. You have your ideas about what works best, and they have theirs. Chances are you don’t agree 100%.

So, you’re right and they’re wrong. Right?

WRONG!

If you take a “my way or the highway” stance without acknowledging the merit in others’ thoughts and approaches, you’ll quickly alienate them. Sometimes you have to agree to disagree and recognize that maybe there’s more than one right way to manage certain aspects of a business. What works for you might not work for someone else, and vice versa.

Just yesterday, I commented on a blog post by someone well-known in social media circles. I actually agreed in general with what he shared in the post, but I expressed a different mindset about two of the points he made. After I had presented that in a very positive and non-confrontational way, he proceeded to twist my words and represent what I wrote in a totally different light. I commented again to clarify my position…no response.

Wow! Although I had initially intended to add this person’s blog to my RSS and follow him on Twitter, he turned me off so strongly that I may never read any of his other posts. Clearly, it was his way or the highway. I’ve decided to take a detour.

The point is it pays to listen with an open mind when you and someone else don’t see eye-to-eye on best business practices. It’s an opportunity to learn, re-evaluate how you approach your business and build good will.

Travel the right road by showing respect; it’s a far better option than driving your reputation off a cliff .
What types of disagreements have you had with experts and entrepreneurs over business practices? How do you approach disagreement without stepping on toes?