Leadership decision making is a process—a way of managing the competing factors that pull every decision in different directions. Once you understand the fundamental pulls and build a process to get better information, you can make better choices again and again.

The best decisions balance several tensions at once. Because people need to buy in, good decisions balance emotional information with rational analysis.

Because innovation is exciting but uncertain, good decision makers balance new ideas with proven data.

And because timing matters, good leaders balance the desire for speed with the need for thoroughness.

I discuss all three of these tensions below in detail, illustrate the pitfalls, and offer quick tips to help you manage your decisions smarter today.

Three Stories That Reveal the Core Tensions of Decision Making

These tensions have always existed. The technology and context may change, but the crux of decision making hasn’t. These classic stories remind us that the balance between emotion and reason, new and proven, urgency and perfection, is as timeless as leadership itself.

1. Emotion vs. Reason — King Midas

King Midas’s wish that everything he touched would turn to gold was pure logic taken too far. On paper, it made sense—more gold meant more wealth. But it ignored the emotional cost: isolation, hunger, and grief when his daughter turned to gold in his arms. His story reminds us that good decisions require both rational analysis and emotional wisdom. Without empathy and perspective, even the most “logical” choice can destroy what matters most.

2. Innovation vs. Reality — The Emperor’s New Clothes

The Emperor’s mistake wasn’t his curiosity about something new—it was his lack of reality testing. Enthralled by the promise of invisible, magical fabric, he ignored evidence, silenced dissent, and became blind to the truth that the innovation didn’t do what it promised after all. The lesson: new ideas need healthy skepticism. Balancing imagination with honest feedback and pilot projects to test results before making a big play, prevents us from marching confidently into failure.

3. Urgency vs. Perfection — The Boy and the Dike

When the boy saw a crack in the dike, he didn’t wait for a perfect plan or call a meeting—he acted. By plugging the leak with his finger, he bought time for others to build a real repair. His decision wasn’t perfect, but it was right for the moment. Sometimes leadership means making a quick, imperfect choice that protects something bigger until a better solution is possible.

These stories, which you can find on GoodRead’s list of fairy tales, are a quick reminder of the pitfalls of making unbalanced decisions. Here are a few thoughts and tips to help your decision making become more balanced and effective.

Balance Emotional with Rational Information

We like to think we’re rational in decision making, but the truth is, emotions often get in the way of good decisions. When you can get your rational and emotional information to align, you are more likely to get better outcomes.

Emotions aren’t the enemy of good decisions—they’re essential data. The trouble starts when they run the show. Leaders who make sound decisions don’t suppress feelings; they notice them and ask, “Are my emotions helping or hindering me right now?”

Emotional intelligence means understanding what you’re feeling, how it might be coloring your choices, and how others are likely to respond to your decisions. A rational process without emotional insight can lead to choices that no one wants to buy into. On the other hand, emotion without reflection often leads to regret. Either way, when the decision is unbalanced, the results suffer. The goal is alignment: head and heart working together toward the same outcome.

The best decision makers know that fear, perfectionism, and overanalysis are emotional traps, not evidence of better thinking. When you wait for certainty, you often miss the moment. A “pretty good” decision made with awareness and empathy will almost always outperform a “perfect” decision made too late. Emotional intelligence gives you the tools to stay calm under pressure, test your assumptions, and move forward—even when the future is uncertain.

Try This When Emotions Get in the Way

Before making a big decision, pause and separate the feeling from the choice. Ask yourself:

  • What am I feeling right now—and is it helping or hindering me?
  • If I set that feeling aside, what would I choose?
  • How might others feel about this decision, and how could I address that?

This quick reflection helps you check whether emotions are serving your goals—or steering you off course. When you bring emotional awareness into your process, decisions become not only smarter, but also easier to own and easier for others to follow.

Balance Innovation with Existing Data

Being open to new ideas is essential for growth. However, innovation without reality testing can easily veer into fantasy. The smartest leaders balance curiosity with data and discipline. They test new ideas against existing information, run small pilots to reality-check possibilities, and listen closely to the people who will make or break the change.

Flexibility is a core skill to practice for good decisions. It’s important to let go of old habits when they no longer serve you well, and to temper excitement for an idea until it’s proven to work. Especially when information is imperfect or conditions are changing fast, maintaining flexibility helps you test what’s working and move toward the best outcome.

Getting buy in is at the heart of this process. Even the best ideas fail without support. Instead of pushing an answer, great leaders start by listening. They raise awareness of the need for change, ask thoughtful questions, and engage others in shaping the solution. That collaboration not only refines the idea but builds ownership. When people see their fingerprints on a decision, they become stronger advocates.

Even with the best intentions, bias can quietly distort decision making. Sometimes it’s the lure of novelty, but other times personal bias plays a role. Most people gravitate toward those who look, think, or act like themselves, which can limit who they hire, promote, or partner with. Bias isn’t always malicious, but it is costly. It narrows perspective and blocks valuable input from people who see things differently.

The hardest bias to spot is ego—when we dismiss warnings from others because we assume we know better. When we’re passionate, it’s easy to get carried away and miss the signs to slow down and look again. I know because I’ve done it myself, and it nearly cost me my entire company (see Chapter 12 from my book Bag Lady if you wantthe story). From experience I can tell you, it is much harder to fix a mistake later than to listen carefully at the start.

The key is patience and respect for process. Innovation isn’t a flash of brilliance; it’s a sequence of conversations, tests, and adjustments. Each stage—raising awareness, gathering input, refining the plan—adds depth, support, and resilience to your idea. When enthusiasm meets evidence, and creativity meets collaboration, innovation becomes sustainable.

Try This When You Want to Move a New Idea Forward

Before pitching a new idea, ask yourself:

  • Have I raised awareness of why change is needed?
  • Have I invited others to help shape the solution?
  • What data or pilot results can help us test this before full rollout?

Balancing innovation with evidence—and ego with collaboration—builds trust and lasting support for real change.

Urgency vs. Deliberation

There are few decisions that can’t wait at least a few minutes. When making high-stakes choices, it’s wise to pause, calm your mind, and think rationally. Stress and our automatic fight-flight-freeze response can narrow your thinking, making it harder to see options clearly. Taking a breath keeps you from reacting impulsively and gives you space to choose a response that actually moves you forward.

But there’s another trap—waiting too long. Many leaders get stuck gathering data, testing hypotheses, and chasing the illusion of certainty. Often, an ideal decision reached too late is worse than a workable decision made in time. The goal isn’t speed or slowness—it’s timing: knowing when you have enough clarity to start moving forward. Often, taking the smallest step, testing the waters, and seeing if you can move in that direction, is better than waiting too long.

Emotions like perfectionism, fear of being wrong, or paralysis by analysis often hide behind rational-sounding excuses like “I just need more data.” These emotions cloud judgment as much as impulsivity does. When perfection and fear combine, people circle endlessly through analysis, rumination, and self-doubt—missing the moment of opportunity. Emotional intelligence helps you build self-awareness to see these patterns. When you are calm, you can separate feeling from fact and act decisively when it counts.

Try This When You’re Stuck Between Acting and Waiting

Ask yourself:

  • Am I waiting for perfection—or do I truly need more information?
  • What’s the cost of waiting versus the cost of acting now?
  • If I weren’t afraid of being wrong, what would I choose?

Good decision making isn’t about being fast or flawless—it’s about staying aware, grounded, and ready to move when the time is right.

Good Decision Makers Are Constantly Gathering Information

Because decisions are only as good as the information available at the time, strong decision makers make a habit of staying informed. They listen carefully to colleagues—not just for facts, but for tone, motivation, and mood. They pay attention to what people care about, what pressures they’re facing, and which projects energize or drain them.

They also keep close tabs on key initiatives. They know which efforts are moving smoothly and which are stuck, where resources are tight, and where opportunities are opening up. Through regular check-ins and ongoing curiosity, they stay alert to shifting priorities and changing conditions.

This constant flow of information makes them faster and better decision makers. When challenges arise, they’re not caught off guard—they’ve been watching the signals for weeks. Because they’ve already gathered insights and weighed tradeoffs, they can pivot quickly and act with confidence when the moment comes.

For most leaders, one-on-one meetings are invaluable. They create the trust and context needed for real information to surface. In these conversations, people share what’s really happening—the good, the bad, and the “almost.” Those insights are gold for decision makers who want to stay ready, adaptive, and a few steps ahead of whatever comes next.

Bringing It All Together

Great decision makers don’t wait for certainty—they build readiness. They trust a process that balances emotion with reason, innovation with evidence, and urgency with patience. Over time, that balance becomes instinct. It’s how leaders stay calm in chaos, confident amid ambiguity, and trusted by their teams.

If you want to strengthen your own process, start by sharpening how you listen—especially in your one-on-ones. That’s where the best information, insights, and partnerships begin. My leadership workshop, One-on-Ones that Motivate helps leaders practice this process in real time—so that when the next challenge hits, you’re already ready.

Keep Learning

Decision making requires leaders to bring together all the skills that are important for good leadership. Here are a few more articles to explore as you build good decision making skills:

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Ready to take your learning to the next level? Join my live, free leadership workshop on One-on-Ones that Motivate. to build these skills live.

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