When Growth Stalls: How It Happens, Why You're Stuck, and What to Do About It

4.1. What Is Consensus?

Acknowledging the crucial role consensus plays in business can be difficult because "consensus" itself is a term that's often derided. Britain's "Iron Lady" prime minister Margaret Thatcher once said, "Consensus is the absence of leadership," and she has been quoted by politicians and pundits alike to make a point about the need for leaders to be willing to make bold decisions and, if necessary, stand against the tide. Sometimes that sort of boldness is necessary. But in most circumstances, the most effective political leaders are those who build on a mandate provided by the voters—"mandate" being, in effect, another word for consensus. Those who neglect the power and importance of consensus may find themselves impotent ...