Disagree & Commit

As a leader, cultivate a culture which invites disagreement but, following which, inspires and requires commitment.

Consensus might be cozy, but complete buy-in is rare. Be comfortable knowing that not everyone will agree with you/with the initiative/with whatever is being discussed.

Take the time to think, debate, persuade, listen to contrary ideas, reconsider, and refine. Adjust course if needed, but, once the decision is made, move forward — everyone, together.

“We’ve debated, we’ve decided, now we move forward together.”

If people still disagree, that’s fine, but once the decision is made, the culture should be one of ‘commit and support’ (without insidious sniping from the sidelines, without public grumbling).

Encourage your teams to ‘disagree and commit’.

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Dr. Denry Machin is an educational consultant specialising in teacher training and new school start-ups. His most recent book, ‘International Schooling: The Teacher’s Guide’, can be accessed here.