Tool: Building Consensus Around Difficult Decisions

Step 1: Establish Clarity

Instructions: Work together to write a clear statement of the decision that you are making.

Step 2: Identify Non-Negotiables

Instructions: Ask all team members to describe the factors that matter the most to them about the decision that you are making. What characteristics would a potential solution require to earn their support?

Team Member What Matters Most About the Decision We Are Making?

Step 3: List Areas of Agreement

Instructions: Work together to find the common ground that already exists among the various thoughts and opinions of your team members. The non-negotiables generated in step 2 will help you identify where your team members agree.

We already agree on the following core ideas related to the decision that we are trying to make:

Step 4: Develop Two Proposed Solutions

Instructions: Develop two proposed solutions for the decision that you are trying to make that take the nonnegotiables of your team members and your areas of agreement into account.

Proposed Solution 1 Proposed Solution 2

or

Step 5: Summarize Your Final Decision

Instructions: After discussing the two potential solutions brainstormed in step 4, summarize your final decision in the following box.

Here is what we have agreed to do: