---
id: "quote-lescher-consensus"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ Reaching True Agreement"]
tags: ["leadership", "decision-making"]
related: ["claim-early-unanimous-support-bad", "entity-bill-lescher"]
speaker: "Bill Lescher"
speakers: ["Bill Lescher"]
sources: ["governance"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-governance"
originDay: 7
articleStem: "hbr-cl-85-false-alignment-trap"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/07/the-false-alignment-trap"
sourceTitle: "The False Alignment Trap"
---
# Bill Lescher on Decisions vs Consensus

> "well-informed decisions by accountable leaders, not consensus decisions. I do not expect every stakeholder to love every decision. I fully expect every stakeholder to be thrilled with the process by which we make the decisions, with each voice clearly heard."

— [[entity-bill-lescher|Bill Lescher]], former U.S. Navy admiral ('Get Real, Get Better')

Lescher reframes the goal away from unanimous enthusiasm toward **process legitimacy** — support for the [[claim-early-unanimous-support-bad|claim that early unanimous support is a bad sign]] and for prioritizing decision rights over consensus in the [[framework-reaching-true-agreement|five-step process]].


## Related across articles
- [[concept-consensus-management]]
- [[contrarian-consensus-is-a-liability]]
- [[quote-abandon-decisions]]