All agree?

Great! We’ve got a consensus!

Have you ever been in a situation where you don’t agree with something, but you just don’t have the nerve to speak up? But everyone thinks everyone else agrees and is onboard with the plan?

There are lots of ways this can happen. And often there’s more than one factor involved:

🟢 It could be a power dynamic.

🟢 It could be that you’re new and aren’t sure you’ve earned the right to hold a firm opinion about the topic.

🟢 It could be that you’re young and everyone else seems older and wiser.

🟢 It could be that you’re the only guy and all the rest are women. Or you’re the only gal and all the rest are men. Or a race thing. Or a body image thing.

🟢 It could be that you’re not quite sure of the facts but are embarrassed to slow things down and ask for clarification (since everyone else is acting like they’re clear).

🟢 Or it could be because you’re not confident you can express yourself well.

Maybe if you were speaking your native language you’d stand up and state your case and firmly defend your opinion on the matter. But instead, you stay quiet. You’d rather go along with the group, than risk embarrassing yourself. Or, God forbid, have your expertise called into question if you muck up how you explain yourself.

It’s a bit scary to think how many times this probably happens.

I’d guess that many times, a “consensus” is not truly a consensus, but just the decision of the stronger, louder, more powerful, more confident voices around the table.

If you need any help on this front, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Click here to book a chat with me.