Letting others think they are right is a wise move in many situations. Especially when being “right” is less important or totally unimportant.
When it comes to emotional intelligence, this is a critical sign that a leader understands how to use their social skills to create positive feelings and outcomes.
Allowing others to believe they are right privileges the relationship overaccuracy and illustrates that the leader cares as much about harmony as they do about correctness.
Good leaders maintain a reasonable balance between truth and harmony, preferring to concede the truth to others whenever they can.
But some leaders haven’t evolved to that view. They find letting go of the need to be right to be painful. Even on minor issues and inconsequential topics, they insist on establishing how correct they are.
This commonly produces resistance, distaste, and disengagement. But their need for correctness outweighs everything else. The old saw that it is better to be effective than right rings hollow to them.
However, for those leaders who deeply value relationships, understanding that there are times when it is best to allow others to think they are right is an essential part of strengthening connections.
They know that positivity and peace are best achieved by allowing others to enjoy their perspective and opinions if there is no harm done. Letting others think they are right on occasion reduces unnecessary conflict and relieves tension.
Smart leaders conserve their strong advocacy for more meaningful topics and issues. They prefer to boost trust and cooperation by refusing to argue over trivial matters, especially when the situation suggests relational harmony should carry more weight than technical accuracy.
Of course, if the misconception leads directly to a poor decision or negative consequences, then it would be wrong to allow others to maintain their inaccurate view.
In fact, when personal safety is at stake, letting others believe they are right can be dangerous. Good leaders are also on guard for false beliefs that may become entrenched and resist correction later.
But by and large, there are many occasions where the best move is to ignore an inaccuracy and to allow others to maintain an erroneous view. If you find it difficult to do that, or even the thought of it is distasteful, it may be time for a refresher in leadership and relational effectiveness.
Correction and accuracy are not always the best answer. Sometimes the relationship must mean more. The need to be right invites argument and disagreement.
Good leaders prefer harmony over truth when the consequences are insignificant.
