I am completely against this way of thinking, specifically in work projects. It does not take any special talents to point out the flaws in a project. It doesn't even really take a whole lot investment; invite any person off of the street and they could do the same thing, and they could quite possibly come up with the same exact results. Just pointing out the flaws does nothing for the project and doesn't speak to any of your abilities, other than of course, being a negative Nancy (sorry to all you Nancy's out there).
Of course, you could always just keep to yourself, however, from my experience, holding your tongue at the meeting leads to venting elsewhere. "Venting" and complaining to your unsuspecting friend, cowoker, etc. gets you absolutely nowhere and doesn't help the project. What happens when you don't speak up? Something you think is wrong could be something that customers, clients, or members of the organization think are wrong; this could be something that damages your teams reputation because no one actually spoke up.
Speak up; if you have a problem or think something is wrong, say it. But if you REALLY want to be effective, don't just list the pros and cons, list the pros and then suggest the deltas - by deltas I mean the symbol for change. Don't just list what is wrong, come with solutions to what you see as a problem. Don't just dismiss a coworker's idea, give them suggestions on how to make it better. That is a part of being a team, that is true team work.
By coming up with solutions or even ideas to further a project is far better than just letting your angry brew inside of you. The whole part of being on a team is so that you can collaborate; everyone can do amazing things on their own, but when people work together, that's when the real magic happens.
Just remember next time, your voice is valid, you have so much more innovation in your mind, so put it to good use; think about what you see, and see if you could possibly make it better. Be open to criticism, just as your coworkers are open to your suggestions. Being on a team is about pushing each other to be better so that ultimately you can create a better product.
And let me tell you from experience, using the pros and deltas model, has lead me to a lot less venting, and a lot better projects!
- Lauren
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