Ray Dalio - How to embrace conflict

The advice I always give founders is, 'Don't ask people what they think about your idea; ask them what's wrong with your idea. Invite them to poke holes in it because you want to find those holes before you bring your idea into the world.'

It's important as founders, as disruptors, and as people to evaluate our ideas with as little ego as possible. If an idea is good, it's good no matter who gets the credit. If it's bad, you should say it's bad—even if it's yours.

Whether you're starting a new venture or just going about your life, we tend to seek out agreement so we can feel secure and supported, but agreement on its own can lead to confirmation bias. This is why I believe and actively encourage disagreement.

The key to success is [knowing that] you don't have to do everything yourself. You don't have to say 'I'm the guy who came up with the idea' and be possessive about that. You just want the best idea wherever it comes from.

I think the problem of... our educational system is that it teaches you to be right, and you have a possessiveness to be right ... It's embarrassing when you're wrong. It's embarrassing when you have a weakness. Everybody's wrong at times. Everybody's got weaknesses.

I believe disagreement is the wellspring of great ideas and great companies but only if you harness the conflict constructively.

Make sure people don't confuse the right to complain, give advice, and openly debate with the right to make decisions.

Whatever success I've had in life has been more due to meditation, I think, than anything else.