On the post election Monday in Germany. Difficult results. I was reflecting on the Amazon Leadership
written by Stefan Christoph
On the post election Monday in Germany. Difficult results. I was reflecting on the Amazon Leadership principle of “Disagree and Commit” during my morning jog today. Recap of the principle:
Leaders must respectfully challenge decisions they disagree with, even when uncomfortable or exhausting, but fully commit to implementing decisions once they’re made.
There are two Phases, Disagree Phase and Commit Phase.
🔄 DISAGREE PHASE 💬 Leaders have a duty to push back on decisions before they become final 📊 Must bring evidence, examples, and compelling rationales to the table 🗣️ Speaking truth to power - regardless of org level or rank 🎯 The goal is finding what’s true, not meeting in the middle
✨ COMMIT PHASE 🤝 After decisions are locked, all hands support execution - no exceptions ❌ Zero tolerance for undermining or “told-you-so” attitudes 🙏 Success demands humility, grace & unified teamwork 🚀 Enables rapid, effective decision-making momentum
The approach offers crucial advantages in organizational decision-making. By sidestepping the “consensus trap,” teams avoid the paralysis that often comes from waiting for universal agreement. It encourages moving forward when approximately 70% of necessary information is available, rather than waiting for perfect certainty. This framework actively fights against conformity and groupthink by creating space for critical debate and challenges. Moreover, it places high value on disruptive thinking and novel perspectives, ensuring that innovative ideas and fresh viewpoints aren’t lost in the decision-making process.
Back to election. Now is a right time to apply the principle. Given all the urgent challenges ahead one would hope that we can apply the commit phase right away.
Living this principle is not always easy but really improves the outcomes. Are you apply this, or a similar principle, in your daily life/work?