Stand your ground or cave in?

It’s hard to be the one at the top, getting pushback to your ideas from various angles. You own the decision, whether it succeeds or fails, yet others also have a stake in the outcome. Discussing and debating the issue involves personalities and data, strategy and operations. There’s no right way to approach it, but there are wrong ways. We asked our Fast Company Impact Council members how they responded when trusted advisors, investors, and senior leaders disagreed with a major decision they wanted to make. Their responses were a master class in tact and vision. 1. DOES DISAGREEMENT STEM FROM THE GOAL, TIMING, OR RISK TOLERANCE? When experienced people disagree with you, pay very close attention but don’t automatically change course. What’s important for me to understand is whether the disagreement stems from the goal, the timing, or the risk tolerance. I pressure-test where the gap is, and let that guide me to make the call and own the decision. In a recent example, the core pushback was not the goal, but the pace and risk. In the end, we moved forward on a different timeline and with a lower risk profile. — Steve Holdridge, Dayforce 2. DISAGREEMENT IS A SIGNAL I’ve learned that disagreement is often a signal that you’re close to something interesting. My role isn’t to ignore advisors, but to create a culture where we responsibly test ideas others might shy away from because that’s where real innovation lives. We’re disciplined about risk, but we don’t confuse that with playing it safe. If you never try the counterintuitive, you rarely unlock outsized outcomes. — Neil Waller, Whalar Group 3. WHERE YOU STAND DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU SIT We built Opus as an AI-native company six years ago. So, we were in a strange position when the AI boom hit. My board asked why we weren’t doing more, building side products, launching tiger teams. We’d been here the whole time. An advisor said, “Where you stand depends on where you sit.” That stuck with me. The VC lens on AI isn’t wrong, just incomplete. They’re pattern matching to previous transformative moments. VCs are right—something big is happening. But the timeline or the strategy isn’t the same for every business. Companies losing the plot are slapping AI on everything. We’ve actually fired vendors for it! — Rachael Nemeth, Opus Training 4. IT’S OFTEN ABOUT RISK Trusted advisors (e.g. accounting, law, investors) all have a different take on situations than I have as an entrepreneur. I take their inputs and then make the decision based on my experience and willingness to take or avoid risk. Most times, my advisor’s risk aversion was not in sync with my risk intensity, which is why they were advisors and I was the entrepreneur. — Larraine Segil, Exceptional Women Alliance Foundation 5. PROVE THE DECISION THROUGH MILESTONES When I believed we needed to keep investing in a more comprehensive workforce platform, some trusted voices urged a safer, narrower path. I listened carefully, pressure-tested the risks, and asked the team to prove the decision through milestones rather than conviction alone. Ultimately, disagreement made the strategy stronger because it forced us to clarify why the decision mattered, and how we would measure success. — Paul Toomey, Geographic Solutions 6. INFORMATION, NOT CRITICISM I’ve learned not to view pushback from trusted advisors or senior leaders as criticism. Rather, it’s information. Some of the best decisions I’ve made became stronger because they were challenged first, and I’m not afraid to change my mind when better or new information comes in. That said, leadership also means being willing to make the call once you’ve done the homework. I value directness and candor, so I don’t want a room full of agreement. I want thoughtful debate. If a decision can hold up under tough questions and differing perspectives, it’s usually the right one. — Meredith Rosenberg, NU Advisory Partners 7. ENCOURAGE OPEN DIALOGUE AND DEBATE I believe the most effective leaders articulate a clear vision and foster a collaborative culture to bring it to life. Guided by that philosophy, I encourage open dialogue and healthy debate to support decision-making. When considering my leadership team, I have been intentional about bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise to promote meaningful discussion. When you have smart, talented people around you, disagreement is constructive and an opportunity to strengthen decisions while building even stronger relationships. Once decisions are made, communicating transparently to all stakeholders is key to maintaining alignment. — Mark Smucker, The J.M. Smucker Company 8. LISTEN BEFORE DEFENDING I firmly believe that feedback makes me better. So, when leaders push back on a new approach, I make sure to listen before defending. I acknowledge their concern, discuss the risk against the cost of inaction, and use data and a clear timeline to support my position. This approach tends to yield the best result, whether it was my original position or a new path forward. — Brett Bruggeman, Land O’Lakes, Inc. 9. INPUT IMPROVES DECISIONS I am grateful for the input. I always feel more confident about big decisions when they benefit from diverse perspectives. It is lonely to operate alone. When I have a talented team to work with, it seems like a waste not to include them in big decisions. It is hard for me to recall a major decision that wasn’t improved at least a little as a result of input from others. — Brad Weber, InspiringApps 10. GO DEEP ON ANALYSIS In one case, I wanted to make significant organizational changes, but there were some concerns about the potential short-term disruption to sales and growth. Instead of pushing through on conviction alone, I went deep on the analysis—clarifying the operational rationale, modeling the risks, and defining the KPIs that would determine whether the changes were working. The process created enough alignment to move forward and it strengthened the execution plan. I’ve found that strong disagreement, when handled well, often leads to better decisions and outcomes, because it forces sharper thinking and clearer accountability. — Patrick Frend, Delve 11. DON’T CONFUSE CAUTION WITH WISDOM When I left a senior enterprise executive role to start my company, a few people I trust thought I was crazy. Fair reaction. How could I walk away from the stability, money, access, and opportunity? Their input helped me pressure-test the decision, but I did not confuse caution with wisdom. Let smart people sharpen your thinking, then make the decision you are willing to own. — Todd James, Aurora Insights 12. BE OBJECTIVE When a major investor pushes for operating changes, like losing confidence in one of your executives, objectivity is everything. I’ve seen both sides play out. There was a time my investor was right and I just didn’t want to accept it. Other times, giving the exec space to prove themselves resulted in their own growth and the investor’s trust. My advice is to investigate the specifics, check your ego, and ask honestly: Am I protecting the business or just my own judgment? Consider all perspectives, but be prepared to stand your ground when you believe it’s the right thing to do. — Tony Grimminck, Scribd, Inc. 13. GATHER INPUT AND MAKE THE DECISION As CEO, you always strive to deliver consensus, but it rarely happens and you have to be prepared to make the decision and then outline your rationale. The toughest decisions often revolve around people, and specifically decisions around senior leadership. I have found that even when there is consensus that change is needed, disagreements persist around timing and the new organization. My response is to gather input, but be clear the decision is mine. I then broaden the group by explaining the background and why I did what I did. — Thomas Scott, Wrike 14. CHANGE THE FRAMING Ahead of Coachella, we proposed a large-scale partnership with Rivian that transformed AutoCamp into an immersive off-site festival experience. Because it required taking inventory off-property during a financially scrutinized period, leadership was understandably hesitant. I presented a detailed operational and financial analysis alongside projected earned media, creator reach, content capture, and long-term brand exposure. Framing Coachella as a major cultural platform—not just an event—helped leadership understand the broader strategic value beyond immediate revenue. — Bryan Terzi, AutoCamp 15. GET CURIOUS Disagreement usually signals something worth exploring, not something to take personally. The first step is to get curious, understand what’s driving the other perspective and what might be missing. That often strengthens the thinking. It’s equally important to ensure your own view is clearly heard. But once a decision is made, alignment matters. Moving forward without holding onto resentment is key. Diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes and no one has all the answers. — Emily Kortlang, Yerba Madre 16. SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS When we started EliseAI in 2017, a lot of investors thought “AI for property management” sounded too niche. We heard “no” close to a hundred times before our first real yes. The way we handled it was by working very closely with customers to make sure we were solving real problems and then we let the results speak for themselves. Once operators saw real ROI and adopted the platform at scale, the conversation with our board completely flipped from “can you actually do that?” to “how fast can you scale it?” — Minna Song, EliseAI 17. OPERATE ON INSTINCT A few years back, a major creative agency partner offered to acquire us. It was tempting (especially early on). But I didn’t believe selling was the right move. Other partners disagreed. I told them I was happy to buy them out, and I did. Today the company is worth significantly more, not just financially, but in the culture and independence we’ve built. Some decisions only make sense in hindsight, but they have to be made on instinct. — Virtyt Pula, TOML Collective 18. BE ACCOUNTABLE Last year, Oxylabs released its seven core leadership principles based on our actual experiences. One of them is about being accountable, which means speaking up early, being open to challenge, and owning your commitments. This is what I follow when senior leaders disagree with my direction. I treat it as valuable input rather than an obstacle. I gather their concerns, pressure-test my assumptions, and if I still believe the decision is sound, I make the case clearly and take responsibility for the outcome. — Denas Grybauskas, Oxylabs 19. GUIDE CONVERSATIONS TO REACH SHARED CONCLUSIONS I prioritize listening and asking thoughtful questions before acting, even with full autonomy. At this stage in my career, I focus on building trust and learning from more experienced professionals. When disagreements arise, I approach them with respect and strategic awareness, recognizing the role of perception and ego. Rather than opposing directly, I guide conversations to reach shared conclusions. I value sustainable influence over short-term validation, as strong relationships and alignment consistently lead to better long-term outcomes. — Manuel Freire Garabal, Gioya Higher Education Institution 20. MOVE WITH CONVICTION When I started as Twilio CEO, investors pushed back on a major decision not to spin off a company we had acquired, and the stakes felt existential. The key is to have conviction in the play you’re running. There will always be dissenters, but if you are waffling, your team can feel it. Moving with conviction ensures the work is the thing that ultimately triumphs. — Khozema Shipchandler, Twilio 21. CONTEXT MATTERS My preferred method is non-verbose and empathetic crushing professionalism. Leadership is often seeing things at a high level and may lack the deeper context for a decision. The only approach that has made sense for me is a written rationale tied to business goals, client needs, and scope. Your emotions and feelings hold little sway. — Matt Owens, Athletics