I can spot decisive leaders in the first five minutes. They have one trait that separates them from everyone else:
They make decisions with 70% of the information.
Not 100%. Not when it’s “safe.” When they know enough to act.
I invested in a startup where the CEO faced a brutal choice: expand internationally or perfect the domestic market. The data was mixed. The board of advisors was split. Competitors were moving.
While others analyzed, she decided. “We go global in Q3,” she announced. “If we wait for perfect information, someone else will own these markets.”
Eighteen months later, international revenue was 60% of their business.
[Email readers, continue here…] Decisive leaders understand that speed beats perfection in most decisions. They know that making the “right” decision slowly often matters less than making a decent decision quickly.
They create momentum when others create committees. They choose direction when others choose analysis. Their teams trust them because they trust themselves.
The downside? Decisive leaders make mistakes. Fast decisions sometimes mean wrong decisions. They can bulldoze over good advice in their urgency to move.
But in fast-moving markets, the biggest risk isn’t making the wrong decision—it’s making no decision at all.
Decisive leadership creates something invaluable: companies that move while competitors deliberate.
What decision are you avoiding that you already know enough to make?
