Based on the book, “Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere” by Arnold Sanow and Sandra Strauss, standing firm on the hallowed grounds of “rightness” is a dead-wrong approach for connecting with others. It smacks of arrogance and alienates.
The need to “be right” gets in the way of winning the acceptance, appreciation, and respect of others-qualities critical to caring connections, customer satisfaction, and harmony everywhere.
Whenever you need to be right, you make others wrong in the process with a polarizing effect, and that pushes people away.
If you find yourself playing the “Right and Wrong Game,” get out immediately! Remind yourself what you could lose by winning.
Naturally, you want your beliefs to be validated by others, but not at the price of alienating them. It boils down to this: “being right” jeopardizes yourconnections. Would the loss of your colleague or comrade truly be worth a momentary victory in a ridiculous battle of egos?
Giving up the need to be right doesn’t mean giving up your preferences and perspectives. Rather, it means letting go of demanding that others must or should see things your way. It’s respectfully disagreeing, but not demanding that others conform to your beliefs. You strengthen your relationships with a willingness to accept and respect differences.
A steadfast insistence on “being right” can throw you steadily off course with people and the direction you want to head. “Being right” can be expensive, costing you clients, customers, credibility, and connections; it’s definitely the wrong approach if you want to keep valued relationships.
Instead of “being right,” do what is right for the integrity of the relationship and demonstrating your intention for creating good connections.
