It seems somewhat strange that we all tend to know someone who believes they are always right (we always seem to have at least one of these people in our circles). But, simply by the law of percentages, there is no possible way that anybody is right all the time. In addition, no one person can always be wrong.
Truth be told, most people are never really right or wrong anyway, as much of the decision-making scenarios we are faced with have varying acceptable answers and are less "black and white," and much more "gray."
And yet, some folks find themselves in a position where they're always trying to exhibit their knowledge by showcasing how "right" they believe they are.
How do we deal with those who always believe they are in the right?
One way is make sure that the data necessary for decision-making is always shared and always transparent. It is very hard to argue with data, and if it is out there, then the data is "right," not the person.
Another way to help others see that it doesn't have to be about right or wrong is to make sure that everyone has the chance to share their thoughts and that protocols exist to monitor airtime. Often those that can't deal with being wrong will attempt to pontificate about their "correct" views (whether purposefully or not) to sway people to their side. By making sure that decision-making protocols exist, we can avoid "correctness fatigue," where people simply give up so they don't have to listen anymore.
Finally, we can engage in a difficult conversation with the person or persons, with the goal to help them see how decisions are always better when we strip away the "right" and "wrong" and simply emphasize who and how a given decision will serve.
After all, it's rarely about the decision-makers, and the majority of time about the ones who aren't sitting at the table (despite the fact that they should be. . .but those are thoughts for another time :)).
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