Things to Do if You’re the Lone Voice of Dissent During a Meeting
Meetings can be frustrating at times. Simple conversations end up getting heated. It’s also due to the nature of the discussion. Some of them require different ideas, and they will eventually be put to a vote. It’s part of the democratic process, and you should be a good sport. You win some battles, and you lose the others. Winning makes you feel good because your ideas can become a reality soon. Losing is quite difficult to accept. It’s even worse if you’re the lone voice of dissent. If it happens in any of the meetings, these are the things you should do.
Accept the process
You can’t do anything to change the mind of the people in the table. You already went through a process and the decision has been made. If it’s a clear and transparent voting process and everyone had the chance to speak out, you have to accept the results. It doesn’t matter if there are maneuvers done outside the meeting room. It’s part of the politics at play, and the only thing you can do is accept. Again, you win some, you lose some. If the tables were turned, the others would have no choice but to accept.
Reflect on what happened
After showing you’re a good sport, you need to reflect on what happened. You might have tons of questions about being the only person who thought of those ideas and end up dissenting. Find out why others thought differently, and what aspects of the discussion you misunderstood. Talk to the other people in the group if you have time. They might tell you what they disliked about the idea that you dissented. You can learn from what happened and use it on your next meeting.
Try again next time
If you still believe you were right and your ideas should have been pushed through despite being the lone vote, you have to try again. You need to come up with catchier reasons to convince someone else to believe in you. There’s strength in numbers, so you need to at least have someone siding with you. The figure can grow if you can keep proving to everyone that your ideas are great.
You should also except the fact that politics played a role in these decisions. If you can’t accept it, and you can play the game well, the corporate world isn’t for you.
It might also have something to do with your age. Seniors bond to strengthen their voices since most of them aren’t happy to see changes. It takes courage to stand up to them and letting them know that other ideas are worth listening to.
While waiting for another chance to showcase your ideas, you have to improve yourself. Study more and look for references to back up your future proposals. If you can impress everyone in the room, it would be difficult for them to turn their backs on you. After all, everyone is on the side of the company. Despite politics, they’re desire to boost the business will still prevail.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://consciouscompanymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/meetings.jpg
2nd image from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/14/well/mind/how-to-stop-yourself-from-crying.html
