Informed Opinions

At some point or another you will be asked your opinion on a subject of interest to your supervisor. In your zeal to appear decisive and assertive you state your mind, only to later regret that you had been so decisive and assertive given that there were other views with equal merit. Well, at least that has happened to me. The problem with opinions is that their nature suggests decisiveness and assertiveness, but they also tend to reflect shallow thinking. Now don't get me wrong, I am not calling you shallow, but the common expectation of an opinion is that it expresses a core belief, and is not the result of a careful or methodical analysis. It is my opinion that our opinions should offer a deeper understanding of an issue.

Maybe we should keep it that way; when we are asked for our opinions we should be allowed to state our minds. Ah, to live in the perfect world! So, when asked, do we speak our minds, or do we answer in a way that promotes the view that our opinions should be based on a careful analysis of the multidimensional world in which we operate? Of course, it is my opinion that when we are asked for our opinions we should be fair to the broader perspective and state that there are some good points and bad points about the issue.

At first glance this response might appear vague and avoiding of commitment. Indeed, there is some avoiding going on, but it is more like avoiding being painted into a corner. While there are some things that have no positive aspects, and likewise, some events are entirely negative, the vast majority of business decisions requires a balance between the reality of positive and negative outcomes.

It is essential to recognize a fuller range of potential outcomes, for ignoring them serves no benefit to the opinion maker. In effect, an opinion is an assessment of these outcomes - an ever multiplying polynomial of pros and cons. Opinions based on few such considerations is not properly justified and the resulting action will inevitably face the reality of negative opposition.

So what do we do when we are asked for our opinions on a business matter? We should state that there are pros and cons. If we are then asked for more detail, we can then list and weigh the pros and cons in order to construct a qualified opinion on the matter.

An informed opinion illustrates that you are aware of the factors that affect the decision process. However, one need not walk around with ready-made opinions on all sorts of issues. Instead, we should be ready to acknowledge relevant factors, and when we need to, we can assess their current value so that we can compute a useful, meaningful and informed opinion.