> Lead: This is not a choice. I am telling you to do this. > Teammate: You need to convince me. I've reached the point in a discussion with a subordinate where

> Lead: This is not a choice. I am telling you to do this. > Teammate: You need to convince me. I've reached the point in a discussion with a subordinate where I've had to say "this is not a choice" multiple times in my 30-year management career. Only twice has the person absolutely refused and only one of those times was this part of the reason the person ended up being fired. I'm amazed at how many times these kinds of ultimatums come down to some strange, abstract principle: "I won't pollute my code with a global setting, instead you're going to delay the release a couple of weeks while I re-write the code and we re-QA everything." No, that's not what is happening. At some point, it is my job to make the call. If you think it is your job to make the call, you should find a job where it is your job to make the call. I assuming, of course, your lead is not asking you to do something immoral or illegal. Since I've been on the other end of that before.