“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
Theodore Roosevelt
There is always a reason for a leader not to make a decision. Enormous pressure to be right every time, too many options, a constantly changing business environment…all can create the perceived need for more information before a decision can be made with complete confidence.
In business (and life) we rarely have 100% of the information that will identify the perfect solution. Therefore, the perfect solution is virtually unknowable.
Accepting this fact is important if a leader wants to move with any velocity. Waiting for perfect information usually means waiting too long, so the alternative is to make sound decisions without complete information.
Colin Powell followed the 40-70 rule for the amount of information needed to make a decision. When you have 40% or less, you’re guessing. At 70% enough information has been gathered, and you can add experience and intuition to make the decision. Continuing to gather information beyond 70% causes delay.
Powell believed that the goal is not to make quick decisions, but to make timely decisions. And evidence abounds that delayed decisions can be as fatal to a business as making the wrong decision.
Nokia was the largest mobile phone maker in the world in the early 2000s, but company leaders argued for years over how to respond to the touchscreen smartphone. Decisions were delayed, and eventually Nokia was overtaken by iPhone and Android.
A century before there was Amazon, Sears had pioneered remote shopping and delivery through their highly successful mail-order catalog. Sears had the infrastructure and customer base to transition into a dominant e-commerce player. But leadership watched and waited, debated and delayed the decision to build an online marketplace.
There are a variety of ways to make decisions without complete information:
- Use directional proof (general signs pointing in the right direction) rather than waiting for absolute proof.
- Test the decision before full implementation to gather more information and adjust.
- Set clear criteria for the decision by ranking your priorities into Must Have and Nice to Have.
- Identify information sources, then gather facts and perspectives that can inform your decision.
- Run a premortem by imagining that a decision fails completely, then work backward to figure out why. This helps identify risks before they happen.
- Accept errors quickly, and focus on fixing the decision-making process for next time rather than just regretting the bad result.
The desire to reach 100% fosters delay. Deciding at 70% fosters momentum toward success.
Success Authorities helps leaders break the cycle of decision fatigue and burnout with the Questions-to-Momentum™️ Flywheel – a structured path from questions to clarity, decisions, action, and sustained momentum.
