3 Reasons Why You Agree When You Don’t Want to Agree – At Work

Why do we agree with someone when we really don’t want to agree?

What makes us say “yes” when we really want to say “no”?

What are the causes of these behaviors?

It all starts by understanding how we operate out of the 3 main circles of influence in our lives. They are Business, Social, and Personal.

Let’s start with Business.

In the Business arena, there are 3 main reasons we might agree when we don’t want to.

#1. We don’t like disagreeing because most of us metabolize disagreement as conflict.

This is because, as a species, we survive and grow by collaborating with each other, which means that we try to avoid disagreeing whenever we can because it might be interpreted as conflict. We have to get along.

That’s why, in the business arena, disagreement can easily be misinterpreted as judging someone or making them wrong – which might be seen as diluting collaboration.

#2. We want to be valued and perceived as making a contribution to support the company and the team.

That’s why “rocking the boat”, or taking a contrary stance or opinion, is risky – because it’s often interpreted as disagreement.

This interpretation can lead to the conclusion that by “disagreeing” you are not supporting the team, the company, or making a valuable contribution.

#3. Someone has “position power” over us.

That’s because in most business cultures, disagreeing with your boss or anyone with a position higher than yours is often considered risky and a career limiting move.

For more on why this happens, you can check out our blog on “The Powerful Manager”.

In our next blog, we will focus on why you agree when you don’t want to agree in the Social arena.