The Power of Disagreement | Margaret Heffernan | Entrepreneur, CEO, and Author on Business Leadership and Organizational Behavior | Season 13 Episode 7 | #228

In this episode, I sit down with Margaret Heffernan, entrepreneur, former CEO, and author on business leadership and organizational behavior, to explore how organizations think, fail, and evolve. We discuss why many institutions avoid conflict and dissent, and how this avoidance often leads to fragility. Margaret argues that disagreement, far from being destructive, is essential for resilience, innovation, and long-term success.Our conversation moves into themes of risk, uncertainty, and the myth of infinite growth. We examine how overreliance on prediction, efficiency, and competition can weaken systems, and why adaptability depends on trust, collaboration, and honest conversation. Margaret reflects on the cultural norms that discourage speaking up, and how leaders can cultivate environments where complexity and uncertainty are openly acknowledged rather than suppressed.What stayed with me most is the idea that resilience does not come from control. It comes from relationships, transparency, and the courage to confront uncomfortable truths. This episode invites listeners to rethink what strength looks like in organizations and why embracing uncertainty may be the key to thriving in a complex world.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction02:10 – From CEO to Writer: Margaret’s Intellectual Journey07:45 – Willful Blindness and Why Organizations Avoid Reality15:20 – The Myth of Infinite Growth22:40 – Risk, Uncertainty, and the Limits of Prediction31:10 – Competition vs. Collaboration39:00 – The Power of Disagreement47:30 – Leadership, Trust, and Psychological Safety56:15 – Why Efficiency Can Make Systems Fragile01:04:00 – Education, Work, and Preparing for Uncertainty01:12:20 – What Resilience Really Means01:18:30 – Final Reflections and Closing