Consulting is a process whereby decision makers invite others to
influenec them before they make their choice. You can consult
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with experts, a representative population, or even everyone who
wants to offer an opinion. Consulting can be an efficient way of
gaining ideas and support without bogging down the decision
making process. At least not too much. Wise leaders, parents,
and even couples frequently make decisions in this way. They
gather ideas, evaluate options, make a choice, and then inform
the broader population.
Vote
Voting is best suited to situations where efficiency is the highest
value-and you’re selecting from a number of good options.
Members of the team realize they may not get their first choice,
but frankly they don’t want to waste time talking the issue to
death. They may discuss options for a while and then call for a
vote. When facing several decent options, voting is a great time
saver but should never be used when team members don’t agree
to support whatever decision is made. In these cases, consensus
is required.
Consensus
This method can be both a great blessing and a frustrating curse.
Consensus means you talk until everyone honestly agrees to one
decision. This method can produce tremendous unity and high
quality decisions. If misapplied, it can also be a horrible waste of
time. It should only be used with ( 1 ) high-stakes and complex
issues or (2) issues where everyone absolutely must support the
final choice.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Now that we know the four methods, let’s explore which method
to use at which time-along with some hints about how to avoid
common blunders.
