How to gather and test information, manage bias, and use a clear process to make sound judgments when stakes are high and information is imperfect.
Decision making is not a single act — it’s an ongoing process shaped by insight, reflection, and course correction.
You’re Solving Problems—But Not Being Asked to Decide You may be making good decisions every day. In your role, you’re solving problems, moving work forward, and contributing in meetings. But decision making in leadership isn’t just about making good calls in your own work. It’s about how others see you when bigger decisions are being made. And that’s where something can start to shift. When those decisions happen, you’re not always in the room. Or if you are, you’re not…
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When Decision Making Under Pressure Is the 80% Gap Many capable leaders plateau not because they lack empathy, trust, or technical skill. They plateau because their decision making doesn’t scale. They are strong in many areas. They build strong relationships. They communicate clearly. They earn respect. But when decisions become larger, more visible, and more consequential, their approach becomes inconsistent. At senior levels, inconsistency in judgment becomes visible. And visible inconsistency limits advancement. This is how decision making under pressure…
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The most dangerous phase of leadership is often not early struggle, but sustained success when assumptions become leadership blind spots. Leadership blind spots arise because success is reassuring. It tells leaders that their judgment is sound, their instincts are reliable, and their approach works. But at senior levels, past success can quietly become a liability. Many of the leaders I work with are accomplished, capable, and respected. They have succeeded beyond what they once imagined. Yet they find themselves surprised…
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If you’re missing feedback signals as a leader, it’s a sign of your own growth. Learn to listen differently to grow more. At some point, nearly every leader misses a feedback sgnal. There was a moment when I, too, found myself missing feedback signals as a leader. Here’s a story of how I missed a signal and made a decision that nearly cost me my company—and what I learned that helped me grow further. I remember announcing the decision and…
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Strong leadership decisions depend less on having the right answer and more on confident decision making when the stakes are high. During disruption, crisis, or uncertainty, there is always an emotional reaction. That is human. But effective leaders know how to steady themselves, control their impulses, and create just enough space to respond clearly rather than react emotionally. They reconnect with their values. They consider the impact on their team, stakeholders, and customers. Then they move forward with clarity. That…
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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…
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