Decision by Council, Not Consensus

Council, Not Consensus: Ask How, Not What, Once the What Is Decided

Here’s the deal. There is a defective behavior, or culture, that is eating into progressive companies and hurting them. I did not decide to talk about this because I was annoyed. I have been mulling it over in my head for quite some time, doing a little research, and I finally came to a conclusion that I think will save you a lot of time. First, a quick sidebar that connects to it.

Short answer: Decision by consensus lets one person stop an idea everyone else supports. Decision by council works better: everyone weighs in once, then the leader or the most qualified person makes the call, and the whole team backs it. Once the ‘what’ is decided, ask people ‘how,’ not ‘what.

A Meeting Is Not a Briefing

I heard this definition from a colonel in the Marines, and I really liked it. There is a difference between a meeting and a briefing. A meeting is where you bring people together intentionally, for the purpose of weighing in on something and making a decision together. It has to have a purpose, and it needs to be focused. A briefing is where there is a plan and you are getting people up to date.

His point was that if it is a briefing, keep it a briefing. You can do briefings through phone calls, texts, or other messages. Do not talk at people and call it a meeting, because you waste their time. If it is a meeting, have an agenda, keep it focused, and do it the right way. Here is how I think about the ones we use.

• The team meeting, the strategic planning and procurement meeting, and the trade partner weekly tactical are meetings.
• The foreman huddle, the worker huddle, and the crew huddle are huddles.
• A huddle is really a combined briefing, a multidirectional briefing.

So there are differences between meetings and briefings, and between meetings and huddles.

The Culture I Am Warning Against

Now to the main topic. I have been working with organizations that are progressive and dynamic, but they only progress with inside influences, and in individual silos. Even some of my favorite companies do this. They do not network. They do not share. They do not scale, and they do not standardize anything. For the most part, they do not invite or allow outside input. Any of their innovation, and they have a lot because they hire brilliant people, comes internally, not from the collective or from outside sources.

You can have a progressive culture and still take outside influence and scale, if you have the right culture and mindset. Here is the mentality I am warning you against. These companies get trapped in decision by consensus.

How One Person Stops an Idea Everyone Likes

Decision by consensus is not a thing. It will stall you every step of the way. Here is an example, and nobody knows who I am talking about, so please do not get offended. I have been working with some interesting progressive companies, and I told them we have the solution right now. We can implement Takt and the Integrated Production Control System, and we have the visuals, the tools, and the support team.

One person says, I love this. A second person says, I love this. A third says, I love this. The fourth says, we have to do this, this is going to save our clients so much money and unburden hundreds of people. Then you ask one person in one department who, because of the system they are in, has to say, I do not like the idea. If the company got outside help, networked, or scaled, they could not take credit for it. So they say, let’s keep this in house. Let’s wait. I am not sure we are ready. The entire idea fails, and now we are heading ever backward instead of ever forward.

Council, Not Consensus

I remember a quote from someone at DPR that described what the culture was supposed to be. He said, yes, we are all equal, but some of us get paid to make riskier decisions. Everybody is equal, and everybody has a voice, but somebody has to make a decision.

So here is the pattern I follow instead of decision by consensus. It is decision by council, and it works everywhere. I have tried it. Here is how it works.

• Either the leader makes the decision, or, regardless of who the leader is, there is a person on the team who is most qualified to make it.
• Everybody gets to weigh in, like Patrick Lencioni and Gino Wickman write about, but only once, because more than once is politicking.
• The leader, or the person the team has appointed because they are best suited, makes the call.
• Because everyone has weighed in and has faith in the person making the call, they all back the decision, get on board, and move forward together in unison.

I am borrowing the phrase ever forward from DPR, and I love that core value. When a bureaucrat or fear-based person says no to an idea everyone else supports, we are no longer ever forward. Think about someone whose role depends on the current system, say a senior scheduler who does not yet know the Takt system. They may understandably hesitate, because it could feel like a threat to their role. In a council system, they weigh in, and the leader can still make the call and do what is right.

The Difference Between What and How

Here is the point I most want to make. There is a difference between what decisions and how decisions. If you ask a group of people what they want to do, you will get answers shaped by where they sit. The leader says, I want to improve operations and make money. The superintendent says the same. The project manager says the same. The trade partner says, I want a schedule I can follow. The senior scheduler says, I want a department where my intelligence, wisdom, and experience are valued, and I feel safe, with job security in my role.

We should not ask people what they want to do when the company is already heading in a direction. It is like asking my kids, do you want to take a shower, do you want to go to school, do you want to be nice to each other, or do you want to do anything besides play video games? They would say no. Most adults are not kids, and I am not being disrespectful, but if you truly ask people the what question, you will not always get the answer you need.

Do not ask what questions if the what has already been decided. If you are the senior leader on a project, and you know you need to finish on time with a better schedule, that it needs to flow, and that you want to respect people, the what is decided. Do not ask the senior scheduler whether you should hire an outside consultant to show there is a better system. You will not get the right answer. Ask how.

• We are going to clean this job, and the question is how we can do it.
• We are going to learn Takt construction, and the question is how we are all going to lean in and do it.
• This is the milestone we are hitting, and we pull planned and scheduled it together, so the question is how we are going to get there.

Sometimes you do ask what. But if the what is decided, do not patronize people by telling them they have a say.

An Example From a Company in Canada

I was working with a company in Canada, and we were talking to a trade partner about jobsite cleanliness and safety. I said, this is already decided. The leader of that company has said they will build the safest, cleanest, most organized, and happiest jobs in Canada. The what is decided. You get to weigh in on how.

What and How Questions

Be very careful when you ask what and how questions, because most of the time the what is already decided. With the Last Planner system, you do not ask trade partners, do you want to hit this milestone? You say, you get to hit this milestone, so how are we going to do it? Create a council culture, where people weigh in, buy in, and then somebody makes the decision. Never decide by committee, or by consensus, where you need a unanimous decision. You will never make the right decision that way.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

So here is the challenge. Before your next decision, ask whether the what is already decided. If it is, ask how, and give everyone one chance to weigh in.

Jason Schroeder said it plainly: “Don’t ask people what questions if the what has already been decided.”

On we go.

FAQ

What is the difference between a meeting and a briefing?

A meeting brings people together intentionally to weigh in and make a decision together, with a purpose, an agenda, and focus. A briefing gets people up to date on a plan. Do not talk at people and call it a meeting.

What is decision by council?

Everyone weighs in once, and then the leader or the person best suited makes the call. Because the team has weighed in and trusts that person, they all back the decision and move forward together.

Why is decision by consensus a problem?

Because it stalls everything. One person who disagrees, often because of their role in the current system, can stop an idea everyone else supports, and the company goes ever backward.

When should you ask how instead of what?

When the what has already been decided. Ask how the team will get there, and do not tell people they have a say in something already decided.

What is the difference between decision by council and decision by consensus?

Consensus needs everyone to agree, so one person can stop an idea. In decision by council, everyone weighs in once, then one qualified person decides and the team backs the decision.

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