If you are a lot like me, you don’t like to be wrong. When you make a public declaration and set a direction, you don’t want to experience the pain of having to change course and retract that statement.

But what if the journey to making the right decision included the freedom to change your mind because new information had been discovered?

Humble leaders find a way to mine for information that would disprove their presuppositions in order to help them make the right decision. Al Pittampalli discusses this very concept in his recent book, Persuadable: How Great Leaders Change their Minds to Change the World.

Leaders are often viewed as strong and powerful when they are right. It tends to validate other’s perceptions of us filling the chair we are in. But an unwillingness to change our mind in light of new information has caused the downfall of more great leaders than being seen as week because their first answer was not the right answer.

Pittampalli states, “In environments characterized by complexity, uncertainty and dynamism, it’s impossible to have all the answers. If you want to succeed you must be prepared to change your mind.”

As I have explored this concept in my own life, I have found the following items covered by the book to bear true:

1. Smarter Decisions: When I allow myself to remain open to alternative view-points and additional information, I find myself making smarter decisions. If I plant a flag too soon, my ego gets in the way. But by remaining a learner from any valid source, I find I am stewarding the time, resources and decisions much better.
2. Stronger Team: Leaders who make a declaration and then refuse to listen to wise counsel find themselves standing alone much more frequently than those who create a culture where they are seeking the input of others. This facilitates both safety and trust — two critical components of team health.
3. More Transparency: One of the factors of leadership that undermines success is the inability to get opposing viewpoints out in the open. By being willing to accept an alternate viewpoint in the midst of new information, team members are more likely to be transparent with their concerns. As a result, leaders have fewer surprises that were known to everyone but themselves.

I strongly encourage every level of leader to read this book to better understand the power of being persuadable and the seven practices that help even the most confident leaders discover freedom that comes from a willingness to change their mind.