Home › Leadership › Advice
Balance Consult-and-Decide and Build-Consensus
Leadership / Advice
Two decision-making approaches. Use both, but know when to use which.
Consult-and-Decide
- Gather input from others, then decide yourself.
- Fast. Clear ownership.
- Use when: time is short, stakes are medium, you have the context.
Build Consensus
- Work together until everyone agrees (or at least can live with it).
- Slower. Stronger buy-in.
- Use when: the decision affects many people, buy-in matters for execution, the team has important context you lack.
The Mistake
Using consensus for everything. It's slow and often produces watered-down decisions. Not every choice needs agreement from everyone.
How to Choose
Ask:
- Is speed important? Consult-and-decide.
- Will people need to deeply commit to the outcome? Build consensus.
- Is this reversible? If yes, just decide. If no, take more time.
Be Transparent
Whatever approach you use, say it upfront: "I'm going to consult you all, but I'll make the final call" is clear and honest.
Related