Unanimous Enthusiasm Decision Bar
Require every decision-maker to become genuinely excited before investing
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 99%
The Unanimous Enthusiasm Decision Bar replaces passive consensus with a higher standard: every member of the decision-making group must become genuinely excited about the proposed partnership. The process does not require everyone to begin with the same view. Instead, objections guide additional diligence, direct product experience, leadership meetings, and evidence gathering until concerns are resolved or the opportunity is rejected. This creates shared conviction before a consequential commitment and makes the whole team invested in supporting the outcome afterward. At Emergence, partners did not all begin equally enthusiastic about the large Zoom investment, but further work, product use, and meetings with Eric Yuan brought the partnership to unanimous enthusiasm despite the acknowledged possibility of failure.
Origin
Santi Subotovsky described unanimous enthusiasm as Emergence's decision bar while recounting the partnership's deliberation over its unusually large Zoom investment.
Core principles
- 01High-stakes partnerships need active support rather than passive consent
- 02Initial disagreement can be resolved through additional evidence
- 03Each decision-maker should experience the product and meet the leader
- 04A strong process permits conviction even when the outcome remains uncertain
- 05Shared enthusiasm improves commitment after the decision
How to run it
- 1
Name the decision group
Identify the people whose active support will be required during and after the decision. Keep the group limited to genuine owners of the outcome.
Pro tip Include people who must help when the partnership encounters difficulty.
Watch out An oversized group can turn unanimity into organizational paralysis.
- 2
Record starting positions
Ask each member to state enthusiasm, reservations, and missing evidence independently. Distinguish resolvable uncertainty from fundamental opposition.
Pro tip Collect views before group discussion to reduce conformity pressure.
Watch out Silence should not be interpreted as support.
- 3
Investigate objections
Design diligence that directly addresses each material reservation. Use customer evidence, product tests, references, and leadership meetings.
Pro tip Assign an owner and explicit evidence threshold to each open concern.
Watch out Do not use more information merely to exhaust dissenters.
- 4
Create direct experience
Give every decision-maker first-hand exposure to the product, team, or partnership. Shared evidence improves the quality of collective judgment.
Pro tip Prefer realistic product use over a controlled presentation.
Watch out A successful demo alone does not resolve business or leadership risks.
- 5
Retest enthusiasm
Reconvene and require each person to state whether they are genuinely excited to proceed. Reject passive formulations such as being willing not to block.
Pro tip Ask whether each member would still support the decision if the outcome became difficult.
Watch out Do not pressure the last dissenter merely to achieve formal unanimity.
- 6
Commit as a team
Once unanimous enthusiasm exists, treat the decision as collectively owned. Support the partnership through both favorable and difficult periods.
Pro tip Document the evidence and shared thesis for later review.
Watch out Unanimity does not guarantee success and should not eliminate ongoing monitoring.
In the wild
The Zoom deal represented a major career and fund-level risk. Emergence's partners tested the product, met Eric Yuan, and completed additional diligence. Although they did not all begin at the same level of conviction, the work eventually produced genuine enthusiasm across the team.
→ The partnership collectively backed the firm's largest investment at the time.
A leadership team considering a core infrastructure vendor records security, reliability, and support concerns. Each concern receives targeted diligence, key leaders test the system, and the team proceeds only after every accountable executive is excited to own the relationship.
→ The decision gains stronger post-contract support and fewer unresolved objections.
Common mistakes
Confusing consent with enthusiasm
A person who agrees not to block may still lack the conviction needed to support the decision during difficult periods.
Demanding instant agreement
The framework allows initial disagreement and uses it to direct further evidence gathering.
Forcing the final dissenter
Social pressure can produce nominal unanimity while concealing a valid unresolved risk.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for small leadership teams making consequential, long-term partnership or investment decisions.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for urgent operational choices where unanimity would create dangerous delay.
From the transcript
“we have this bar that we call unanimous enthusiasm.”
“Everyone needs to be excited about the partnership.”
“And we were all there, even though we didn't all start there, as we did more work, and everyone met Eric, they tried the product.”
From the episode
The Zoom IPO (with Santi Subotovsky)
Santi Subotovsky