Decide how to decide

How Does Your Leadership Team Decide? Balancing Inclusion with Decision Speed One of the most critical responsibilities for leadership teams is decision-making. Yet, how often do they pause to reflect on how we make decisions? There are six approaches commonly used: Avoid: Decisions are postponed, hoping clarity or consensus will emerge. Often driven by discomfort or fear of conflict.

Delegate: One team member is given full responsibility. Fast, but risks limited perspective. Consensus: The team aims for unanimous agreement. Inclusive, but can slow things down or dilute accountability. Majority Vote: Quick and democratic, but can create division if not managed well, and ideally each vote should be weighted by knowledge level/credibility of the topic.

Participative: The leader invites broad input and challenge, then decides. Drives engagement while maintaining clarity. Autocratic: The leader gathers input but makes the decision alone. Efficient, especially in a crisis or less important practical decisions. Each approach has its place. The key is to choose intentionally.

Research and experience show that the participative approach is often the go-to modus of effective leaders. But of course it’s good to flex your style depending on the situation. Ask yourself:

• Which decision style does your team default to?
• Is it serving you well in every situation?
• What would happen if you optimized for momentum AND inclusion? ...meer