In Michael’s very kind link to our Rands in Repose retrospective, he mentioned the following:

He dropped by for lunch at Apple during which we debated productivity software. I remember disagreeing with him about something fundamental and he held his ground, we agreed to disagree. During this lively disagreement, I decided that Alex was my people.

My friend Dave linked to the post with the following:

Alex and I end nearly every conversation together with an agreement to disagree, and I count him as a close friend.

I do have opinions. 🙂

Here’s the thing, thoughtful opinions are what make people interesting.

Lively and engaged debate is how I test my opinions and expand my view of a particular issue. While it’s unusual for me to completely walk back something during a discussion, it’s extremely common for bits of the discussion to germinate over a few days/weeks and fundamentally change or expand my point of view.

I thoroughly enjoy talking with Michael and Dave, for this very reason. I enjoy their perspective and their willingness to expand mine.