Decisions Against Consensus Can’t Be Because You’re Smarter Than Everyone Else

Sometimes leaders feel compelled to go against the wisdom of the group. Even when everyone is insisting on north, sometimes leaders believe they must head south. Anti-consensus decisions don’t happen very often for most leaders, but when they do, they can define the leader and the moment. 

Leaders who are convicted about an opposing view usually hold a value or principle higher than everyone else. They simply believe deeply, for instance, that client satisfaction, fairness, team culture or some other value must be given more weight. 

As they consider all the issues tied to a decision, they feel they must buck the group and go in a different direction. Sometimes this turns out to be a smart call. Other times the hubris of making an anti-consensus decision blows up in their face. But decisions soaked in values can never be entirely wrong or wrong-headed. 

Leaders who discard the group view because they believe they know better or are smarter than the collective wisdom of the team almost always make a huge mistake. The arrogance of a leader who believes they know things others don’t or have some deep wisdom others can’t appreciate blinds them to the facts. Anti-consensus decisions not steeped in values or principles are commonly wrong. It’s the equivalence of a parent saying, “Because I said so.” We all know how that turns out. 

A case in point occurred at the Super Bowl in Arizona in 2023. The field surface is a critical component of a great game. Unfortunately, the turf in the stadium that year was a soggy mess and was widely criticized by players, coaches, commentators, and turf experts as a total wreck. 

Weeks before the game, the team of assembled experts all argued that the field needed to be sanded multiple times and left to dry before the big game. The NFL Field Director deflected these views without discussion and debate. 

Instead of heeding the advice or exploring options, the Field Director went against the consensus and selected not to sand the field and watered the turf just days before the game. He chose not to listen to anyone else because he thought he was smarter and wiser than the collective wisdom of several centuries of experience represented by the team. Instead, he took all of his advice from the person staring back in the mirror. What a mistake. The outcome was an abomination, and he was later fired for this hubris. 

Leaders are rarely smarter or more knowledgeable than the team or group of experts. When they decide to go against the views of the team, good leaders listen and argue for the value or principle they believe is underrepresented. They explain why a contrasting decision is necessary and then debate it. The discussion helps others to understand, even if they don’t agree. 

In the end, the leader may very well go against the group, but they do so knowing it is principle and not personal vanity that drives the decision.