"Being prime minister is a lonely job... you cannot lead from the crowd."
In spite of what seems like an endless number of business articles and posts on consensus and other disempowering ideas, the great leaders of history have never become successful based on some type of consensus. Yet person after person gets hold of this idea and runs with it like it's a magical pill to business success. It isn't.
How hard is it to get a group of people together and get them agree to do something wrong? That's basically what consensus really is.
This isn't talking about people putting their ideas across and being heard, that's extremely important. But to get everyone to agree upon something is not what makes any business great. Margaret Thatcher knew that in running Britain, and lived that way.
As she said another time, "I don't mind how much my Ministers talk, so long as they do what I say." She wasn't looking for popularity or consensus, but response and action.
We have to understand as business leaders that we will have to make decisions many others won't like. As Thatcher said, "you cannot lead from the crowd." To lead from the crowd means somehow you're going to please everybody. We can't. You also can't lead from the approval of the crowd. No matter what you decide, there will be dissenters. It comes with the territory.
If you try to do this, you'll find out in the end that you've created a disaster rather than a growing business. Important decisions must be made on the merit of the information and data you have before you, not on whether others approve.
To be a leader we must lead, not become part of a crowd. Consensus is asking for mediocrity and the lowest common denominator. Don't be fooled into following that path. It will bring failure and not success.
Margaret Thatcher Resources:
The Best Quotes From Margaret Thatcher's 'Statecraft'
Margaret Thatcher & the Revival of the West
Interview with Margaret Thatcher
Magaret Thatcher's Life in the Shadows
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