[RyanCahoon]

The talk I would challenge any FIRST team to operate by is Margaret Heffernan's Dare to Disagree.

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers — and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.

"It's a fantastic model of collaboration: thinking partners who aren't echo chambers"

"It means we have to resist the neuro-biological drive which means that we prefer people like ourselves [...] and find ways to engage with [people who aren't]"

"What matters is that the candidates are willing and able to stand up to authority [...] I think we need to be teaching these skills to kids and adults at every stage of their development if we want to have thinking organizations and a thinking society"

"When we dare to break that silence [...] and we create conflict, we enable ourselves and the people around us to do our very best thinking"

Note: the talk is framed using anecdotes. While it's worth watching from the beginning, the core of the talk doesn't get introduced until around 3:50, so be patient