Decision-Making When the Stakes Are High
Most people think the hardest part of leadership is making big decisions.
It isn’t.
It’s helping others make the right decision when they’re afraid.
Some years ago, I led a major system upgrade. Three weeks from go-live, the client team wanted to postpone. Testing wasn’t complete. A few edge cases were unresolved. Everyone felt the risk.
But delaying meant six months of extra cost and lost momentum.
My job wasn’t to decide for them. It was to help them see the decision clearly.
So I asked one question:
“What gets better in six months that justifies the delay?”
Silence.
Because nothing fundamental would change. More testing time, yes. But also:
• six more months running the old system
• teams drifting to other projects
• higher costs
• the same fear returning when the new date approached
They went live three weeks later.
And it worked. Not because the system was perfect, but because the team finally focused and made fifty overdue decisions in three weeks.
That experience taught me something I’ve seen again and again:
Most leaders don’t struggle with decision quality.
They struggle with decision timing.
And beneath that struggle is something deeper: the discomfort of choosing before you feel ready.
Here’s the framework I use now...
1. Separate Signal from Noise
You rarely need all the data. You need the right data.
In that upgrade, the client had thousands of test results and long risk logs. Most of it was noise.
The signal was simple: the core system worked. The remaining issues had workarounds.
When you face a critical choice, ask:
“What are the two or three variables that actually matter?”
Everything else is distraction.
2. Know Which Decisions Are Reversible
Not all decisions deserve the same level of analysis.
If a decision can be undone — a pricing test, a process change, a team restructure — decide quickly and adjust if needed.
If it’s irreversible — an acquisition, a platform choice, a senior hire — slow down, but not indefinitely.
The go-live decision was largely reversible. That changed the risk calculation.
Ask:
“Can this be undone?”
If yes, speed matters more than perfection.
3. Understand the Cost of Waiting
Waiting feels safe, but waiting is not neutral.
Every delay has a cost:
• momentum fades
• confidence drops
• costs rise
• options narrow
In that upgrade, each week of delay meant higher costs and team energy drifting away.
Ask:
“What am I losing by not deciding?”
Often, the cost of delay exceeds the risk of being wrong.
4. Treat Discomfort as Information
Uncertainty creates discomfort. Most people try to escape that feeling, so they delay decisions.
But discomfort isn’t a warning sign. It’s information:
• this matters
• people care
• the outcome is important
If you can’t sit with discomfort, the discomfort will make the decision for you — usually too late.
Ask:
“Is this fear a real risk, or just uncertainty?”
Uncertainty is normal. Real risk needs a plan.
5. Decide When the Delta Becomes Clear
You rarely get perfect information. What you get is a moment when one direction becomes meaningfully better than the others.
That’s enough.
In that upgrade, going live with workarounds was clearly better than losing six months of momentum.
Not perfect. Just better.
Ask:
“Is one option now clearly better than the others?”
If yes, decide.
The Discipline
Decision timing isn’t about moving fast or slow. It’s about recognising when waiting creates more risk than choosing.
Most leadership failures I’ve seen didn’t come from bad decisions. They came from good decisions made too late — after momentum was lost and options had narrowed.
The question isn’t:
“Am I certain this will work?”
The better question is:
“What am I losing by waiting — and is it worth it?”
Clarity rarely comes from delay. It comes from reducing noise, understanding what matters, tolerating discomfort, and choosing the right moment to act.
That’s the real work of leadership.
And it’s your edge.
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