#8b1: Benevolent dictatorship as a decision-making process.

Alongside consensus building, the other main decision-making process you should use as the leader of a team is the "consult and decide" approach; I prefer to call it "benevolent dictatorship".

You seek input from your team but reserve the right to make the decision. You are granted this power by your team and are trusted by them to exercise it judiciously.

Most decision situations favour benevolent dictatorship over consensus building. Yet it is still important to consider your situation before defaulting to a particular tool.

Related: 8b