Unilateral decisions create false progress while consensus stalls teams; adopting consent lets groups move forward without waiting for unanimous approval.
Consent, not consensus, is the core insight. When a single person decides, the team often sails on a false sense of progress because no one has bought in and critical perspectives are missed. When every voice must agree, decision cycles drag, and the process becomes a veto machine that stalls any change.
The article contrasts these two traps with a simple shift: require that no one actively opposes a decision rather than that everyone actively supports it. This consent threshold removes the endless back-and-forth of consensus while still protecting against harmful choices. It lets teams ship faster, iterate, and correct course without waiting for perfect alignment.
For technical leaders, the takeaway is practical: replace unanimity rituals with a quick check for active objections. If none surface, move forward. This reduces meeting fatigue, accelerates delivery, and keeps the team focused on execution rather than endless debate.
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