File this post under the "introspection" section of this blog. I realized recently that although I am very opinionated and hold many strong opinions about a variety of things, I think of them merely as opinions. That is, about almost every issue, I am quite open to changing my opinions. Essentially, I love evidence-based reasoning.
I realized this is also why I love to argue, especially with people who don't get personally vested in the argument. It forces me to listen to contradictory opinions in order to see if my opinions are worth changing (if they are well justified enough). There is no opinion I can think of that I hold so strongly that I feel I won't change if you can present strong evidence against it. This is also why I often take stronger positions on certain issues during an argument than I really believe. I enjoy the game of hearing how people counter those positions. I almost want you to talk me into giving in and realizing that I have no counter argument against your assertions.
Even when I work on my research, rather than simply working independently, I find it easier to work on something, develop some ideas and "test it out" on a colleague. So, I am constantly popping into colleagues' offices bouncing ideas off them. If they blow holes in it, I go back to the drawing board and counter their arguments. This process really helps me refine ideas as I develop them.
I wonder if this view weakens my ability to really be a leader. While I think, as a consequence of this view, that I am a great listener, I rarely feel I am so right about an issue that I will act on it no matter what you have to say. Perhaps a dictatorial streak is important to getting things done. That will never work for me. If you can present strong counter arguments, I tend to want to listen. Does that make me a flip-flopper?
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