The Story Behind the Theory

Over the years I have been in meetings where a new program was being proposed for a company. I have watched as the meeting seems to move rather quickly toward the vote with, in my opinion, not enough discussion as to the downsides of the program. In too many cases, I was the only person voicing concern, which can be perceived as being negative. It is not that the program is bad, it is that it needs to be optimized for the benefit of the company and customers. This takes discussion and compromise to come to a fair consensus. A consensus is different than unanimous in my book, even though the final outcome may be the same. The consensus approach to new programs allows everyone involved to voice their concerns without fear of being taken as negative or holding back progress.

Implementation

Let’s say your company is having a leadership team meeting where new directions are being discussed. What we have seen in the past is that a strong leader can make others uncomfortable in raising objections or asking questions that might be perceived as negative. My role, knowing your company and competitive landscape, can be to be part of the meeting as a non-voting participant. I am more than happy to bring up the unintended consequences of the program or direction being brought up so that a more constructive discussion and decision can be made. Hopefully, without the negative feelings that might have occurred if one of the lower level team members brought up some uncomfortable truths about the direction.