Consensus isn't validation.

Good ideas create tension. They challenge what people already believe. They force a reaction because they can't be ignored.

Seth Godin put it this way in Purple Cow: ”If you're remarkable, it's likely that some people won't like you. That's part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise — ever. The best the timid can hope for is to be unnoticed. Criticism comes to those who stand out.”

He also wrote something I keep coming back to:

”Tension is the feeling we experience just before we grow.”

We avoid it instinctively. But tension is what changes us. It's what makes an idea stick.

If everyone in the room agrees with your idea immediately, you probably haven't pushed far enough. Or people are checked out. Or they don't feel safe to disagree. Instant consensus isn't validation… it's a warning sign.

Safe ideas don't spread. The uncomfortable ones do.