Decision Fatigue: When Leaders Think,Teams Stop
I call it a “fur coat, no knickers” moment — all appearance, no substance. Everyone in the
room looks like they know what they’re talking about, but nothing’s actually being decided.
You’ve probably seen it. The same slide decks every week. The same conversations.
Everyone waiting for someone else to be certain first.
The truth is simple: no decision is worse than a bad one.
I’ve seen one clear, confident decision unlock more progress than six months of discussion. It
doesn’t even have to be the perfect decision. It just has to move the team forward. Once
you’re in motion, you can adapt, adjust, and refine. But you can’t steer a ship that’s standing
still.
The Fear Behind Indecision
Most indecision doesn’t come from incompetence — it comes from fear.
Fear of being wrong. Fear of wasting money. Fear of being blamed.
That fear thrives when the “why” behind the company fades.
When a business grows, it’s easy to lose sight of purpose. The founder’s intent — that spark
of why we exist — gets diluted as the company expands. Without that clarity, decision-
making becomes cautious, political, and slow.
Start With Why
Simon Sinek’s Start With Why talk captures it beautifully. If your people don’t understand
why they’re doing something, they’ll hesitate to act. Clarity of purpose isn’t fluffy; it’s the
backbone of decision-making.
When I see teams stuck, it’s usually because that clarity has gone missing somewhere
between the boardroom and the backlog. The vision’s been lost in translation, and the people
closest to the work are left trying to read between the lines.
That’s when decision fatigue sets in. Leaders hesitate. Teams wait. Progress quietly dies in
the middle.
Fixing It Starts With Focus
The cure isn’t another framework or process. It’s focus.
As a leader, your job isn’t to make every decision yourself — it’s to make clarity contagious.
Focus on the two things that matter most. Talk about them with conviction. Let your teams
feel your intent, not just hear your words. Passion and purpose travel faster than policy.
Because you can’t truly motivate people. But you can demotivate them very quickly.Indecision kills energy. It tells your teams you don’t trust them — or yourself.
How to Break the Cycle
If you feel your organisation slowing down under the weight of too many choices, try this:
• Identify the two priorities that truly matter. The Power of Two works for strategy
as much as for personal focus.
• Be honest about why they matter. Your teams don’t need certainty, they need
clarity.
• Empower them to move. They can’t deliver while waiting for permission.
A good decision made today beats a perfect one made never. And clarity beats consensus
every single time.
The CEOs and leaders I’ve seen succeed don’t have all the answers. What they do have is
focus, courage, and trust. They make decisions fast, listen well, and adapt without ego. And
their teams don’t just follow — they thrive.
Watch:
Simon Sinek – How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TED Talk)
Want help cutting through decision fatigue and getting your delivery flowing again?
That’s what Agile Second Opinion and momentum back into your team.
is for — an outside view to bring clarity, confidence,