If you want faster progress, start with how decisions get made
If your business can’t make decisions quickly, clearly, and consistently you’ll feel it. In slow progress. In duplicated work. In a lack of ownership. In missed opportunities. And often, in quiet frustration that builds over time.
Decision making is one of the most important functions of leadership, yet it’s also one of the least well-defined. Many organisations lack clarity about what decisions need to be made, who’s responsible for them, and how those decisions should actually unfold.
Sometimes, in the name of inclusivity, teams get stuck in consensus-seeking. Everyone has a voice, but no one has the call. Other times, leaders move so quickly that they skip over the very conversations that would have built commitment – only to hit resistance later. The tension between speed and alignment is real. And so is the cost of getting it wrong.
In fact, these two dynamics often show up as opposites – but they’re connected. In cultures where consensus has become the norm, it’s not unusual to see some leaders swing to the other extreme: acting fast, avoiding input, and pushing decisions through just to break the deadlock. It’s a form of frustration, a reaction to slowness. But speed alone won’t fix the underlying issue. If anything, it risks reinforcing the very misalignment that made progress difficult in the first place.
One of the simplest ways to reduce friction is to start by naming what kind of decision you’re dealing with.
Amazon’s “one-way vs two-way door” framework is useful here. A one-way door is high stakes and hard to reverse; you need to get it right the first time. A two-way door is more flexible; you can try, test, and adapt. But teams often treat every decision like it’s a one-way door, slowing themselves down unnecessarily.
Another framing I’ve seen work well recently is “hat, haircut, or tattoo.” A hat is easy to try on and take off. A haircut will grow back, but there’s consequence. A tattoo is permanent; we’d better be sure.
The point is alignment. If people are bringing different assumptions about the weight of the decision, they’ll talk past each other, or spin in circles.
Some organisations try to clarify decision roles using tools like RACI. But in practice, RACI often becomes a box-ticking exercise. Too static, too theoretical, and too far removed from how real decisions actually unfold. It rarely helps a team navigate the messy human dynamics of ownership, challenge, and pace. What most teams need is not more categories – it’s more shared clarity, in real time, about who’s deciding, who’s contributing, and why.
Because the truth is, decision making isn’t just a leadership task. It’s a cultural behaviour. What’s normal in your senior team – too fast, too slow, too unclear – will ripple through the rest of your organisation. And without shared norms or expectations, things get messy.
Because in the end, a decision is just a commitment to the future you want to create.
It’s not only the call you make – it’s what happens with it next that really matters.
Good decision making isn’t about pace or process alone. It’s about clarity, ownership, and follow-through.
And when you get those things right, in yourself, your team, and your culture, you build the conditions for momentum that lasts.
Reflect: The way you approach decisions is often shaped by what you value and by the patterns you’ve learned over time.
What kinds of decisions do you move through easily and where do you notice more hesitation, overthinking, or tension?
When do you naturally involve others and when do you tend to carry decisions alone?
What conditions help you feel clear and grounded in your decision making?
Review: Every team develops habits around decisions – shaped by history, personalities, and what’s been rewarded or avoided.
What do you notice about how your team typically approaches decisions – for example the pace, participation, clarity?
Where might people be seeking safety through consensus – or moving too quickly to avoid discomfort in unearthing different views?
What small shifts could make decision making feel more shared, transparent, or energising?
Scale: Decision making is both a cultural signal and a strategic lever. It reveals what the organisation truly values.
What messages – spoken or unspoken – shape how decisions are made in your organisation today?
What would those around you – or those who receive your decisions – say?
What would it take to make decision making more intentional – clearer, cleaner, and better aligned with your values?
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