On the one hand, we need to defer to the team. On the other hand, we have a professional responsibility.
Importantly, there is now a conflict. Doing well in conflict means being prepared and fighting fairly.
At the moment the team decides against our advice, our automatic response might be outrage: "this is outrageous... how can we make such a decision..." Do not express those feelings. That will not help your cause and will only alienate.
Instead, make a personal resolution to follow up later after preparing your case for a different decision. These are the steps I take.
- Write down the decision of concern.
- Set a date to raise the concern.
- Prepare a concise memo about the concern that includes the chosen alternative, the other alternatives, and the pros and cons of each.
- On the chosen date, send the memo to the team.
Sometimes, I end up sending the memo. Other times, I end up noticing that the decision is either not as bad as I initially thought or actually quite good. In either case, I have behaved responsibly.