The Fourth of July and The Twilight Zone

It’s the Fourth of July, meaning that amidst the barbecues and fireworks, there will likely be a Twilight Zone marathon on TV.

While the show may be more than half-a-century old and feature some comical special effects by today’s standards, there’s one episode in particular that’s still relevant to us as leaders.

In “Nightmare on the Wing,” airline passenger Bob Wilson (William Shatner) spots some sort of creature lurking outside the window seat on his flight. He stares out in disbelief, questioning if what he’s witnessing could possibly be real.

But the moment he tries to alert a flight attendant, the monster vanishes. The incident happens multiple times, and Wilson is essentially dismissed as crazy.

It’s not until the plane finally touches down and chunks of the wing are missing does Wilson prove correct.

It’s an important lesson.

As leaders, just about all of us at one point or another get dismissed as out of touch with reality.

We’re the lone voice on the coaching staff skeptical of the game plan, the only executive in the conference room questioning the logic of the new strategy, the sole person expressing doubt over the plausibility of a plan.

It’s easy to get convinced that we’re wrong or shortsighted and that we need to conform to what everyone else thinks.

But on occasion, it’s incumbent upon any leader to speak up about what we’re witnessing or what we feel may be the limitations of a particular strategy.

There are essentially four keys to doing this:

1. Respect and calmness: A gentle tone when expressing a contrarian opinion is far more likely to persuade skeptics than if we go in combative and argumentative.

2. Specifics: Offer details of our concerns, not merely vague sentiments of “I don’t think this will work.”

3. A solution: We need to have an alternative idea or proposal for what should be different and present it clearly and precisely.

4. A willingness to let it go: We can voice our concerns and express our doubts, but ultimately, we need to embrace whatever the team decides and go with the plan as if it were our own.

After initially appearing crazy and getting scolded for raising concerns, Wilson proved right in the end.

And while it can be difficult or even embarrassing to be dismissed as a pain or a nuisance, the lone dissenting voice can sometimes be the only one speaking the truth.