Page 3 - The Leadership Line: July 2023

Consensus-Based Decision-Making

Teams using a consensus-based decision-making model will need to develop good meeting practices to ensure that
every individual can participate in the decision-making process. The ability to define the decision topic clearly and
build agreements and sensitivity to the team’s process will all help successful decision-making by consensus.
It is important that the team pay attention to the group process so that no team member changes his or her mind
because they fear repercussions for disagreement, or they are somehow “bullied” by the team (through hostile
remarks or “friendly teasing”) into changing their views.

Team members can check for consensus by seeing if each member of the team can
agree to the following four statements:
1. I’ve heard your position.
2. I believe you’ve heard my position.
3. The decision does not compromise my values.

4. I can fully support the proposed decision and its implementation.

Strive to instill your team members with an inquiry mindset so they’re empowered to think critically and feel their
perspectives are welcomed and valued rather than discouraged and dismissed.

Team priorities

Ask some senior leadership advice on choosing which projects or
initiatives get the most attention or how they are selected.

Rethinking What it Means to Decline a Request

Whether you are afraid of coming across as rude or selfish, are attempting to avoid conflict, or losing out on an
opportunity to help a colleague or experience something new, understanding why you are having trouble saying no
can help make learning to use the word a little bit easier.

When used well, saying no presents an opportunity to set boundaries with those you encounter at work. The word
no isn’t the problem; it’s that people often see their choices as binary.
When you’re making a decision, having only one option to consider isn’t really an option. When you focus on only
one idea to address your dilemma, you face two risks: 1) that your (or your team’s) tunnel vision has bypassed
potentially better solutions and 2) that any decision you make will keep you safely and stagnantly in the status quo.
Source: How to Generate Options for your Decision-Making

Learning to say no in a way that creates options beyond, “Yes, I will do that for you,” or, “No, I won’t do that for you”
allows you some latitude.