Argue More, Fight Less—A shot of fearless culture #437

Your weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.

Aug 12, 2026

A few months ago, a CEO called me for help with an innovation process. The team had spent months exploring new services. Everyone was excited. She wasn’t.

The ideas were too close to what the company already offered. The CEO called them “mediocre.” She wasn’t sure whether the problem was the process or people. Or both.

After a few questions, the pattern became clear: groupthink. People were too nice. Some held back to avoid upsetting the leaders in the room. The experts shot down ideas without giving them a fair chance. Everyone agreed without debate.

I wasn’t sure if this was a broader culture issue, plain conflict avoidance, or something specific to this project. Then the CEO said something that had nothing to do with the innovation problem: “I wish they were this friendly over email. We have constant fights going on there.”

The same team that couldn't debate an idea in the room had no problem fighting about one over email.

Something clicked. The mediocre ideas and the tension came from the same place: how they handled differences.

Strong teams need both differences and common ground. They know when to debate, and when to avoid a fight. Most teams get it backward.

Creativity happens when perspectives collide. We shouldn’t filter our backgrounds, expertise, personalities, and viewpoints. The more diverse the group, the better the thinking.

Common ground prevents differences from turning into “us” versus “them” camps. Execution requires commitment to a direction. Shared purpose, goals, and team norms help reduce friction so differences don’t get in the way.

Teams need more arguing and less fighting.

Since that call, I’ve been testing this approach with a handful of teams. Most find it counterintuitive at first, even awkward. But once they start paying attention, it becomes clearer: where they debate too little, and where they fight too much.

I’m starting to think that’s the real skill: knowing when to use one or the other.

My invitation for this week: pay more attention to how your team handles its differences.

Explore this week’s newsletter: practical tips to argue more and fight less.

Stay fearless, my friend.

Gustavo

This Week’s Article

→ Great Teams Run on Differences and Common Ground. Most Get It Backward.

In Case You Missed It

→ How to Turn Enemies into Collaborators

Ask Your Team This

Where is avoiding conflict hurting our thinking?

⚠️ Try This: Champion, Explorer, Skeptic

I use this with clients to pressure-test a decision before it goes out the door, instead of one open discussion where the loudest opinion wins.

For your next big decision, assign three roles. The Champion makes the strongest case for the plan: what could go right, the evidence behind it, and why it will work. The Explorer maps the terrain nobody’s looked at yet: what options haven’t been considered, and what a different approach could look like. The Skeptic stress-tests the assumptions: what you’re taking for granted, where it could go wrong, and the questions nobody asked yet.

Rotate the roles often, so everyone learns to see issues from different perspectives. Each role balances the other two. The plan that survives all three is the one worth shipping.