Convincing People is Hard
Sometimes You Should Not Waste Time Trying to Convince People
Convincing people is hard.
When you let people experience something, you allow them to convince themselves.
Which is often much easier than convincing people. Don't try to change their mind, ask to run an experiment together
And then let the experiment speak for itself. Sometimes, no experiment will be good enough to convince someone.
You're not dealing with serious people, but with fragile egos that can't handle being wrong.
If the problem is that you’re not allowed to run experiments, even for easily reversible changes, then something is clearly rotten in your company.
You’ve got a company where preserving the status quo is more important than discovering something better.
In short: sometimes your best option is to not convince people and let them experience it for themselves.
But do please keep the door open that you might be wrong too.
That’s the whole bloody point of running an experiment.
Shift the conversation from right or wrong, to what actually works better.
This hits. You don’t win arguments in product ... you win *experiments*.
Convincing fragile egos is a waste of cycles. Let the data do the talking. If someone won’t even try a reversible test, they’re not protecting the product ... they’re protecting their comfort.
Shift from persuasion to proof. And keep the door open on your way out.
Hi Maarten!
Thank you for sharing your insights; I find them very valuable.
I mostly agree with your article and often use a similar approach in my work.
Sometimes, it's better to be flexible and try new things rather than sticking to what we think shouldn't be done.
You mentioned:
>"If the problem is that you’re not allowed to run experiments, even for easily reversible changes, then something is clearly rotten in your company."
But what should we do when there's a debate about how something affects people, and running an experiment could harm their experience?
For example, if we're discussing whether regular overtime leads to burnout, I wouldn't want to conduct an experiment that proves a point but demotivates the team.
It feels like a hollow victory.
This leads me to my second question: Is there a way to share our experiences with others, or are we just doomed to repeat the same mistakes?