Mike's Notes
Jeremiah Gardner on commitment vs consensus. I have seen the problem he is describing many times.
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Last Updated
26/03/2025
Building High-Performing Innovation Teams: Commitment vs. Consensus
Let's be honest about something – working on an innovation team is hard. Really hard.
Anyone telling you differently is either selling something or hasn't actually done it.
Here's why: Not only are you trying to find answers to questions nobody's asked before (that's challenge number one), but you're doing it with a group of humans who each bring their own perspectives, biases, and ways of working. That's your one-two punch right there.
And what do most teams do when faced with this complexity? They chase consensus like it's the holy grail of innovation.
You know how it goes. The endless meetings. The careful tiptoeing around disagreements. The diplomatic dance of making sure everyone feels heard. The desperate pursuit of harmony at all costs.
Sounds nice, right? Almost utopian.
But here's the thing – while we're all sitting in our comfy meeting rooms, nodding along and "building consensus," something critical is happening: absolutely nothing.
Let me paint you a picture of what consensus actually looks like in practice:
Three-hour meetings that could've been 30-minute decisions
"Let's circle back" becoming your team's unofficial motto
Death by a thousand tiny compromises
That gnawing feeling that you're moving at the speed of bureaucracy
Meanwhile, your customers – you know, the people you're supposedly innovating for – are out there, waiting for solutions while you're debating the finer points of your project timeline in meeting room B.
This is where great innovation teams zag while others zig. They understand a fundamental truth:
Consensus is the enemy of progress. Commitment is the ally of innovation.
What do I mean by commitment? It's not about blind agreement or hierarchical mandate. It's about:
- Crystal clear priorities that everyone understands
- Quick, informed decisions that keep momentum alive
- Forward movement without the paralysis of second-guessing
- Actual accountability (yes, with real names attached to real tasks)
I've seen this play out countless times in my work with Fortune 500 innovation teams. The most successful ones aren't the ones with perfect harmony – they're the ones who've mastered the art of commitment.
Take Netflix's approach to innovation teams. They famously operate on what they call "informed captains" – team leaders who are expected to make clear decisions after gathering input, rather than seeking consensus. As former Netflix executive Patty McCord puts it, "Good teams don't wait for consensus. They listen, debate, and then commit to a course of action."
Want to shift your team from consensus-seeking to commitment-driving? Start with these four questions in your next meeting:
- "What specifically do we need to learn next?"
- "How exactly will we learn it?"
- "Who's taking point on this?" (Yes, actual names)
- "When do we regroup to share learnings?"
- Then – and this is crucial – get out of the building and go learn something from your actual customers.
Remember: Innovation isn't a committee sport. It's a commitment game. The teams that win aren't the ones who agree on everything – they're the ones who commit to learning fast and moving forward together.
Ready to ditch consensus and embrace commitment? Your customers are waiting.
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