No HiPPOs.

How to Build a Culture Where the Best Idea Wins

At one point in my career, someone affectionately introduced me by saying “Oh, this is Arnold. He is an a***hole”.

Naturally, I was offended. But they went on to explain to me why it was intended as a compliment. They told me that I was passionate, blunt, and perhaps somewhat abrasive at times when discussing the product and its features. But it was never personal and always with the intent of creating the best product.

From that day on, I realized that work isn’t about being right but about getting it right. This creates the best product possible.

No HiPPOs Allowed

In too many organizations, decision-making still defers to the HiPPO– the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion.

This means that a team can bring in thoughtful arguments, real-world evidence, and solid experience, only to be overridden by seniority or title.

This is an obvious problem when it leads to sidestepping data driven decisions. But not all decisions are data driven. Conversations about architecture, code quality, product flow, and long-term sustainability require nuanced judgment calls that require technical debate, collaborative input, and open minds. But when a senior leader steamrolls that debate with their decree, the value of collaboration is lost.

This has immediate effects on the product or initiative that is being discussed, but it also has longer term implications for the dynamics of the team.

The result of an everpresent “HiPPO” is a brittle culture; teams defer and people disengage. Over time, people stop putting effort into developing and sharing ideas because they know they won’t be considered. The best ideas stop showing up.

The 80/20 vs. 98/2 Rule

When I’m choosing a team to work with (or building a team), I always value people’s working style and open-mindedness over how “right” they are.

Consider two teams, each made of 10 people:

• The first team has 10 people who are generally right 80% of the time. But the other 20% of the time, they are really excellent at recognizing and getting behind a good idea.

• The other team also has 10 people. They are generally right 98% of the time, but the 2% of the time they are wrong, they are stubborn and hard to convince

The second team may be “smarter” and right more often, but I’ll pick the first team every time. Here’s why.

Thinking Probabilistically

We can think probabilistically about how teams make judgments. In a team, independent judgments combine to produce a stronger collective decision. This is how the dynamics play out in the two example teams:

• In the 80/20 team, because everyone listens and changes their mind 20% of the time, the team has many chances to surface and adopt the best ideas.

• In the 98/2 team, even though most are right individually 98% of the time, their unwillingness to be challenged on 2% of cases can lead to gridlock.

If we consider this mathematically, it looks like this:

1. Team A (80/20) Collaborative and Adaptive

The chance that all 10 members miss the right answer simultaneously is:

(1 - 0.80)^10 = (0.20)^10 ≈ 0.0000001 (one in ten million)

This means that almost every time, someone on the team is right. Because everyone is open-minded and willing to consider others’ ideas, the team almost always reaches the right decision.

2. Team B (98/2) — More Accurate but Less Open

The chance that all 10 members are wrong at the same time is:

(1 - 0.98)^10 = (0.02)^10 ≈ 1.0e-20 (an extraordinarily tiny chance)

Individually, they’re more accurate. But since only 1 or 2 out of 10 are open-minded when others are wrong, the team struggles to reach consensus when opinions diverge.

When that happens, either:

• Decisions stall with no consensus, or

• The HiPPO’s opinion overrides better ideas.

  
  

Why it matters

So even though the 98/2 team is more accurate individually, their closed-mindedness makes them less effective as a group.

The 80/20 team’s open-mindedness compensates for slightly lower individual accuracy by almost guaranteeing that the best idea surfaces and wins.

Of course, the ideal team would be right 98% of the time and able to change their mind the other 2%. But between the example options, where one is more accurate and the other more flexible, I’ll pick the flexible “80/20” team each and every time.

There is, of course, a trade-off between being right and being flexible. You would not want a team that is mostly incorrect but very flexible, as this would not create a significant chance for the right ideas to be developed and surface.

Stake in the Ground (and Then Move It)

In order to arrive at the right answer, every good team needs people willing to debate strong positions. A strong “stake in the ground” sparks discussion and creates the necessary tension to surface trade-offs, assumptions, and blind spots.

However, the “stake” should not be permanent. How easily that stake can move when better information comes along is a defining factor in how successful the team will eventually be.

This gets back to my former colleague’s opening accusation.

I’ve been known to argue positions passionately and bluntly, but it’s never about protecting my ego or winning the argument. I take a tough position to provoke challenges and deeper thinking, and then I support the best idea that is surfaced.

When new data or insight surfaces, I flip 180 degrees in seconds. There is no pride in being right, only in finding the best answer.

In my experience, teams thrive on this dynamic: push hard, then pivot fast when new information emerges.

Everyone should be heard.

Others have discussed the following: To truly ensure that your team is surfacing the best ideas, hearing from the “introverts”, the individuals suffering from “imposter syndrome”, and from a diversity of people is essential. This allows you to eventually arrive at the best idea.

I certainly agree with this statement. But being heard is not the same as being right.

Early in my career, I worked with someone else who told me that work “isn’t third-graders at recess playing kickball.” This means that not everyone gets a “turn” to have a good idea just because they showed up. They can share, but sharing and discussing are always in service of arriving at the best idea as a team, not in service of getting your turn to be right.

In high-functioning teams, being “right” is a shared responsibility: everyone works toward the best answer, wherever it comes from. It won’t come equally from all parts of the team.

So, speak up. Share your view. Then stay open to the right answer, no matter who it comes from.

The Best Idea Wins

In strong team cultures, the best idea wins, whether it comes from the quietest voice in the room or from the CEO. The CEO isn’t right simply because they are “the boss.”

No HiPPOs and no ego-driven decisions, just people working together, challenging each other, and building something one idea at a time. That’s what leads to success.