Turning Conflict into Alignment
The Art of Winning Over Stakeholders
In The Mighty Ducks, we see a team of misfits, poorly equipped and lacking the mindset of champions. They needed coaching, equipment, and, most importantly, belief in themselves to become the team we celebrate by the end of the movie. It’s a tale as old as time when it comes to team-cohesion stories, and for good reason.
We often celebrate harmony in our teams, as we should, but in reality, real progress usually begins with tension. In my experience leading complex product and data transformations, the loudest critics can become your greatest allies — if you listen deeply, invite them into the process, and help them see the bigger picture.
The Loudest Voice in the Room is NOT Always the Cheerleader
Years ago, I led the rollout of an AI diagnostic system in a radiology group. The system could analyze scans and flag critical issues before a radiologist even reviewed them — a groundbreaking advancement in patient care and efficiency.
But not everyone saw it that way.
One of the most vocal radiologists, Dr. Reed Radbody (not his real name), immediately pushed back. His concern was visceral and personal:
“You’re trying to replace us. You don’t value our expertise.”
While others quietly shared the fear, he was the one who voiced it aloud.
In moments like this, it’s easy to dismiss resistance as obstruction or negativity. But I’ve learned the loudest critics often carry the most valuable insights and represent the perspectives you need to address most.
Listening Beyond the Noise
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
— Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Rather than sidelining Dr. Radbody, I leaned in. I listened not just to his words, but to the fear and professional pride behind them. His resistance wasn’t just about technology; it was about identity and value.
So, we paused the rollout and brought him in. Instead of imposing the AI system from the top down, we invited him and others to lead a pilot. He became an early adopter, not an adversary.
It wasn’t easy. It meant late-night calls, honest debates, and sitting in discomfort. But it gave him ownership and shifted the dynamic from “us vs. them” to “how might we improve this together?”
Data as a Neutral Ground
During the pilot, the data spoke loudly. While I can’t cite the specific outcomes of our particular practice, we’re not outliers:
Studies support the fact that AI improves radiology practices. At NYU, researchers found that radiologists and AI caught more cancers together than either could alone. The AI identified patterns the human eye missed and vice versa. Similarly, a Stanford/MIT study showed that AI-assisted lung nodule detection improved sensitivity by over 12%, with higher overall accuracy metrics when used in tandem. Details for each below:
Breast Cancer Detection — NYU Langone Study
A study led by researchers at NYU found that combining AI with radiologist interpretations improved breast cancer detection. While AI and humans made different types of errors independently, their combined efforts caught more cancers and reduced false positives. The conclusion: AI didn’t compete with radiologists; it complemented them. — IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 2020 (1)
Lung Nodule Detection — Stanford and MIT Study
A 2022 study found that AI-assisted chest X-ray readings significantly improved lung nodule sensitivity by 12–14% when paired with radiologists. While AI alone missed subtle cues and humans made systematic errors, together they achieved higher F1 scores, showing the power of true collaboration. (2)
This integration was not about replacement; it was about augmentation and, ultimately, saving more lives.
When Dr. Radbody saw the data, his mindset shifted. He became an advocate, sharing results with peers and championing the system’s rollout. The loudest critic had become the loudest supporter.
Elevating the Perspective: From My Job to Our Mission
“Involvement is the antidote to opposition. Invite people to shape the solution, and they’ll stop resisting it.”
— Sean L. Adams
The real shift didn’t come from data alone. It came from reframing the conversation from individual self-interest to a shared mission.
I encourage teams to look beyond their daily tasks and see the larger world we’re trying to impact. For these radiologists, it wasn’t about losing control or diminishing their role. The goal was to achieve faster and more accurate patient outcomes.
Once we shifted the focus to lives saved, not tasks automated, the conversation changed. We have to lift our focus from ownership of individual outputs to the vision we’re collectively pursuing: to goals that can’t be achieved alone, but require coordinated effort across disciplines.
In many roles I’ve held, the company’s UVP wasn’t the product I directly managed. Instead, the PaaS I owned was a tool used by others to accomplish the fundamental value proposition. After years of working in this space, what I call Internal Product Management, I’ve learned to tell the story of value “upline,” even when the work seems invisible.
Not every release shakes the tectonic plates. But every release can ship something meaningful if we know where and how to look.
Raising our sights doesn’t mean ignoring self-interest or tension. It means acknowledging them and inviting everyone to align with something greater. That’s when pride and progress can coexist.
Alignment begins when we stop asking, “What do I want?” and start asking, “What are we building together?”
Lessons for Leaders
Lately, I’ve been having more conversations with product leaders from different industries. From interviews to casual LinkedIn chats. Some are even reaching out to ask my opinion on things, and it’s been very exciting and humbling. Overall, though, it’s also given me space to reflect on what’s worked for me over the years and shape those moments into frameworks that I believe can help others lead well.
The LIFT Framework: Turning Critics into Champions
To move from conflict to alignment, let’s use a model I will call LIFT — Listen, Involve, Frame, and Trust.
L — Listen Deeply
Go beyond the words. Hear the fear, pride, or identity concerns underneath the resistance. Your loudest critics are often your most invested if you take the time to hear them truly.
I — Involve Early
Don’t sideline skeptics. Bring them into the process. Give them ownership, a pilot, a review seat, and a voice. When people help build the solution, they tend to stop fighting it.
F — Frame the Mission
Shift the conversation from personal stakes to shared outcomes. Help everyone see how their work ladders up to something bigger. In healthcare, it may be lives saved; for operational stakeholders, it could be costs reduced or systems improved.
T — Trust the Data
Use neutral, credible data to guide conversations. Facts reduce defensiveness, create clarity, and help people change course without losing face. If you can’t gather this data from A/B Testing, look to the markets, peer-reviewed journals, and other product people in different industries who might have tackled similar problems.
Many of us are only using LinkedIn for sales or job searching, instead of leveraging it as a brain-trust of other Product people all over the world with insights into tackling problems of their own.
LIFTing isn’t about silencing dissent, it’s about elevating concern into contribution. Critics don’t just need to be heard. They need to be seen as part of the solution.
Final Thoughts
The AI rollout wasn’t the first or last time I had to work with voices that seemed to run counter to the goal.
- There was the senior developer, Renegade Raphtalia, who only coded what she deemed worthy of her skills, often in direct opposition to the roadmap.
- Or Just-in-Time Justin, the QA leader who believed users were the best testers and skipped test plans entirely.
- And Retirement-Ready Ricky, who was just trying to make it eight more months without learning a new system or process.
These people weren’t trying to derail progress. They were defending what they valued even if they couldn’t fully articulate it. The key was listening closely not just to their words, but to the things they didn’t say — the tension beneath the surface.
Because turning resistance into alignment doesn’t come from silencing people, it comes from elevating their perspectives, anchoring to shared outcomes, and creating space for transformation together.
When we listen deeply, lead with empathy, and align around a meaningful vision, we don’t just build better products. We build stronger, more resilient teams and create outcomes none of us could achieve alone.
Citations
About the Author
Sean L. Adams is a Director of Product Management with 15+ years of experience driving platform transformation and organizational change across healthcare, fintech, and SaaS. He specializes in building high-performing teams, aligning business strategy with product execution, and modernizing legacy systems into scalable, future-ready platforms.
Learn more at www.SeanLAdams.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.
