observations about playing well in the mental game in business

Contents at a Glance (by section)

			Leadership and Management Development

			Bruce Wilson's Notebook

In this section:
> Bruce Wilson's Notebook -- overview
> Complete List of NOTEBOOK Entries

The one page (two sided) consensus tool "cheat sheet"

Welcome! This is Notebook entry #15 dated June 6, 2006

Bruce Wilson's Notebook

Topics in order of date:

The one page (two sided) consensus tool "cheat sheet"
- June 6, 2006 - (this page)

Reaching Consensus -- using a five degree consensus scale
- May 25, 2006 -

Balancing cost and quality in decision-making
- March 29, 2006 -

Too much talk, not enough action: how to switch it around
- March 3, 2006 -

When to use Consensus for decision making
- December 8, 2005 -

See the complete list of entries for Bruce Wilson's Notebook (15 total)

My previous Notebook entry describes the benefits and limitations of the five-degree consensus process that I recommend to clients who use consensus decision making as part of their repertoire of business skills.

In this entry I offer you a downloadable chart plus a condensed, one-page explanation of how to use a consensus scale which you may want to print out for your own use or e-mail to friends and co-workers for their use. (If you're really hard core, print the chart on special white-board paper for laser printers. Then you can mark and erase right on it as much as you want.)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE: > Using a five-degree consensus scale to reach consensus: the cheat sheet (in PDF Acrobat format)

To download it to your computer, right-click with your mouse (or on a Mac, option-click).

When, again, is a consensus process particularly appropriate? See my Notebook entry from December 8, 2005 for a more detailed answer to this question. In general, a consensus process may be valuable when:

you want a proposal examined carefully. A consensus process pushes people proposing a course of action to clarify their reasoning and pushes others to wrap their minds around the proposal, encouraging everyone to understand it, ask questions, and offer input.

you fear weak follow-through, and thus you want to secure support up front or quit before setting a decision up for failure. A consensus process pushes everyone in a group to assume responsibility for a decision, including follow-through down the road.

you aren't in a desperate hurry. Although a rapid decision may be reached by consensus, for speed alone you're frequently better off assigning a qualified solo decision maker.


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