Quotes about Consensus

Commitment is a function of two things: clarity and buy-in

Teams that commit to decisions and standards do so because they know how to embrace two separate but related concepts: buy-in and clarity. Buy-in is the achievement of honest emotional support. Clarity is the removal of assumptions and ambiguity from a situation. Commitment is about a group of intelligent, driven individuals buying in to a decision precisely when they don't naturally agree. In other words, it's the ability to defy a lack of consensus.

they need to weigh in before they can really buy in.

Yeah, in my last company we called it 'disagree and commit.' You can argue about something and disagree, but still commit to it as though everyone originally bought into the decision completely.

Well, some teams get paralyzed by their need for complete agreement, and their inability to move beyond debate.

If you want to have everybody agreeing with you, join a club or program or church that agrees with you.

God has spoken, and when God speaks, the majority has spoken.

Decency requires that when a programme is approved by the majority, all should carry it out faithfully.

A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.

Begin by emphasizing—and keep on emphasizing—the things on which you agree. Keep emphasizing, if possible, that you are both striving for the same end and that your only difference is one of method and not of purpose.

Alignment cannot be achieved with one good speech from the bridge of the ship—it is established one person at a time. Even though everyone is in the same boat, heading in the same direction, it's quite likely they are going there for different reasons. Yes, working through these issues one person at a time is time consuming, but not as time consuming and frustrating as dealing with lack of alignment when the boat is in the middle of a storm, part way to its destination.

I will always stand firm to protect the sanctity of marriage. I believe it is important to work with people to find common ground on difficult issues.