Some leadership teams can spend 30 minutes debating a decision that was effectively made in the first five.
Not because they’re indecisive, but because the team members have different definitions of “enough information.”
I’ve noticed this pattern repeatedly when leadership teams are solving issues:
– One person is ready to decide.
– Another wants one more example.
– Another asks about an exception.
– Someone else remembers something that happened three years ago and then the stories start…
Everyone has good intentions, but the discussion continually drifts into the weeds.
Some people naturally want more information before they’re comfortable making a decision. They aren’t being difficult. They genuinely feel uncomfortable making a decision until they believe they understand the situation completely.
The challenge is that the discussion has diminishing returns:
– The first few minutes usually uncover information that informs the decision.
– The next twenty often just increase everyone’s confidence in a decision that isn’t changing.
That’s an expensive twenty minutes.
I’ve found it helpful for leadership teams to ask a simple question:
“Are we learning something that could change the decision, or are we just becoming more comfortable with the decision we’ve already made?”
The goal isn’t to eliminate healthy discussion.
It’s to recognize the point where additional detail stops improving the quality of the decision and starts slowing the business down.
Where does your leadership team usually struggle more: deciding too quickly, or debating for too long?
