Wonderful arguments
An argument is what happens when someone cares enough about a subject, a problem, or a mission, that they make a point to express their opposing views.
It’s possible to be in a tension-free, 100%-agreeable workplace where no arguments happen — though that is cause for concern because it’s unlikely that everyone shares an identical perspective.
When arguments do happen, it’s possible to have bad ones that go nowhere — the kind that, through some combination of poor wording, senses of insecurity, subtle-yet-noticeable shifts in tone, or questionable implementations of logic, leave no one open to hearing different views or willing to changing their mind.
A final, more promising possibility, is the prospect of having wonderful arguments — the kind where there is a supportive-enough culture that allows for all parties feel mutual respect for each other, to feel comfortable putting their ideas on display, to be willing to debate, and to be open to changing their minds when decidedly better ideas come to surface.
The best ideas and solutions almost certainly do not come from of places with no tension or from bad arguments. Instead they come from cultures that have figured out how to embrace the productive competition of ideas that is powered by wonderful arguments.
