If no one pushes back, your idea might be in trouble.
I didn’t realize this for a long time.
When people nod, say “yes,” and don’t push back, it feels like you’ve done your job.
“They get it.”
Except… they don’t.
(Because if they did, you wouldn’t need to keep checking.)
I’ve been in meetings where everyone agreed.
And then nothing happened.
No follow-through.
No real commitment.
Just polite nods collecting dust.
The problem is that agreement is cheap.
It’s an easy way out.
People agree to be polite.
To avoid conflict.
Or simply to move the meeting along.
It often happens when you’ve done all the talking.
You’ve explained. Reasoned. Persuaded. Until people got tired.
Alignment is different.
It happens when you create space.
Space for others to engage.
To question. Reflect. Challenge.
To make the idea their own.
Which is what transforms “your” idea into a shared idea.
It might be the slower “yes”.
But at least it’s one that people actually mean –
and carry forward even when you’re not in the room.
Keep lighting the path
