Something to doWorking with others
Decide, then invite challenge
A simple exercise to decide quickly without shutting people out
Why it’s worth your time
A clear decision with visible reasoning is easier to challenge well than an open question. When people can see why you chose what you did, they can point at the one assumption that's wrong instead of reopening everything. A short window for pushback keeps things moving and makes it plain that challenge is welcome.
How to make a decision and invite pushback
You’ll come away with a decision made on time and tested by the people most likely to spot a flaw.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Make the call.
When the decision is yours, the information is good enough, and waiting won't make it better, decide.
- Write down why.
What you decided, the two or three reasons that tipped it, and the options you ruled out. The reasons are the part people can actually test.
Tip: Name the assumption you're least sure of. It's where the useful challenge usually lands.
- Share it, and set a window for challenge.
Send it to everyone affected, with a clear time by which pushback can still change things.
To: the people it affectsI've decided what you decided. The main reasons: the two or three reasons.
I also looked at the options you ruled out and went this way because why. The part I'm least sure of is your shakiest assumption.
Tell me by when if you think I've missed something. I'd much rather change course now than find out later.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Take the challenge seriously, then commit.
If someone shows you something you missed, change the decision and say what changed it. If not, explain why it stands. Once the window closes, ask everyone to back it, including the people who argued against it.
Good moments for this: when a decision is yours and time matterswhen a discussion has gone round without landingwhen you're fairly sure but want a safety check
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
A day is plenty for a small call; a big one may deserve most of a week. A window too short to use reads as a formality.
What might make this harder
Ask one person directly for the strongest case against. A specific question is much easier to answer than an open invitation.
Questions people ask
Where does the idea of disagree and commit come from?
It's the idea that people can argue openly against a decision and, once it's made, still commit to it fully. It's widely associated with Intel under Andy Grove, and later with Amazon.
How do I make a decision without consensus?
Make the call, share your reasoning and the options you ruled out, and give people a short window to point out what you missed. Then ask everyone to commit.
How do I get my team to challenge my decisions?
Name the assumption you're least sure of, ask directly for the case against, and thank the first person who pushes back, whatever you decide.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Plenty of teams get stuck not for lack of ideas but for lack of a decision. The discussion goes round, everyone is heard several times, and nothing lands. A clear decision gives people something concrete to disagree with, which an open question rarely does. Oddly, it often surfaces better objections than weeks of consultation did.
The reasoning is what makes it work. A decision with no why invites people to argue with the conclusion. A decision with its reasons, its rejected options and its shakiest assumption invites them to test the thinking, which is where a real flaw would be. It also answers the why question before it's asked, and people tend to accept a call they understand, even one they wouldn't have made.
This borrows from an idea usually called disagree and commit, associated with Intel under Andy Grove, who described good decisions as open discussion, then a clear decision, then full support from everyone, including those who argued against it. In Grove's version the argument comes before the call; here it moves to a set window just after, so speed and dissent can live together.
Deciding first isn't always right. When the decision reshapes how other people do their jobs, or you're new enough not to know what you're missing, ask for input first and decide second. The window after the fact can't do the work of a conversation that should have come before.
Other simple things to consider
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Written by Truest, based on High Output Management (Andrew S. Grove). Last updated October 2, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.