I know of a CEO who hired two talented individuals to run marketing and sales, respectively. He was delighted with each of them, with one exception: when they interacted with each other—which happened frequently—they both had a strong need to be “right”. As a result, they constantly disagreed.

This situation persisted for the better part of a year, during which time the CEO grew increasingly frustrated. His attempts to use logic, persuasion and eventually forceful commands… all failed. Eventually, he kept the one he liked the best, and fired the other person.

Many of the problems we are facing today are highly complex. Nobody has “the answer”. We literally have not seen some of these challenges before. So let’s move past the notion that any one individual will always possess the correct answer.

Complex problems usually require multiple perspectives, joint problem solving and a collective search for an answer. They require a diversity of perspectives and opinions.

In such an environment, anyone who believes they have a full and complete answer—the only one that could possibly be right—becomes a liability. This headstrong overconfidence cuts off other voices and makes true collaboration impossible (or unnecessarily difficult).

A much better approach is to say, “Here’s what I think I know. You probably have something to offer and we may need other inputs, research or perspectives. Let’s engage in a conversation that starts with the premise that each of us may have a portion of the answer, and by working together, we can create an effective plan for moving forward.”

There is a great deal of nuance that’s required when dealing with complexity. Loud, opinionated voices drown out nuance. They are poison to intelligent thought. If you harbor the desire to always be right, you may be transforming yourself into a problem for the people around you.