Is consensus the absence of leadership?

Margaret Thatcher once said that, in fact, consensus is the absence of leadership. In the political arena, our nation is realizing that the election of a leader depends on a presidential candidate achieving the majority of the votes cast. That means a sizeable minority, almost half of the voters, will not be part of a consensus on who should lead. By implication, it also means that there will be no consensus on what steps the leader proposes. For many years, this very problem has led to a stalemate in Washington.

Business leaders can learn a lot from what happens in the political arena. Those who lead the millions of businesses that make up the economy struggle every day with the challenge of making decisions. There are the day-to-day decisions about all aspects of the business. There are longer-term decisions about company policy: what should it be? And there are general decisions about the mission of the company: what is the business plan? These decisions must be accepted and implemented by the workforce, the customer, the suppliers and all other people related to the business, regardless of opinions and points of view to the contrary. For a business to be successful, once a decision is made, everyone must follow through and do everything they can to implement the decision.

The true test of a business leader, therefore, is twofold. First, the leader must make good decisions. As the saying goes, good leaders make tough decisions, and sometimes they’re right!

The second test of a business leader is how well that leader can motivate and inspire everyone involved to make the decision work effectively.

Not everyone has the ability, skill, knowledge, temperament, and contacts to pull it off. Among those who have all of these factors going for them, not all have the desire and energy to be the business leader. Murphy’s Law also comes into play, in which good leaders are careful not to be promoted beyond their level of competence.

And so: the business leader must make it a priority to make the business successful. But a good leader takes into account the Board, employees, and the management team at all levels, among many other factors. Where does that leave the question of consensus?

Consensus is something that develops from time to time when the conditions are favorable for it to develop. For example, a consensus could develop that this is the right leader for our company. When policies are properly and carefully explained, and tactfully and sensitively implemented, a consensus can develop that these policies are the right policies.

In other words: the business leader will always welcome consensus when it is supportive and favorable to what the leader stands for. But building consensus is not the priority for a business leader. It should be seen as an occasional good result that happens because many other intended results were achieved. When it happens, so much the better. When it doesn’t happen the world hasn’t ended! Leadership in business has more to do with trust and good results than with popularity within the company.

Leaders are human. Of course they want to be popular. But what makes them leaders is the willingness to lead even when their leadership doesn’t necessarily make them popular. The really good business leader is focused on doing what is right for the company and everyone involved, in a way that is legal and profitable. Results, not popularity, are the main goal: a hard lesson in this day and age.