How delayed decisions drain your energy and hurt your leadership.

As a senior executive, your ability to make decisions quickly and confidently is one of the most critical aspects of your leadership. Yet, many of us don’t realize the silent cost of decision debt.

It’s not just about the decisions you make—but also the ones you avoid or delay.

At the top, every decision you don’t make pulls away precious mental energy and focus from what really matters: leading your teams, driving strategy, and delivering results.

When you avoid or delay decisions, it creates "decision debt." Too many open decisions or 'let me decide later when I have more time to think,' thoughts can dramatically undermine your energy, clarity, and performance. For instance:

1. Mental clutter: Unresolved decisions crowd your thoughts, distracting you from higher-priority issues, clearer thinking, and new ideas.

2. Hurts execution: Indecision can make you appear less confident, diminishing your ability to inspire trust. It creates confusion for others. They wonder: "What does this leader want us to do?" They get stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for you to get back to them, to clarify, to decide.

3. Reduced energy: The mental space you could be using to lead, innovate, or problem-solve is drained by ongoing “what-ifs," or, "I don't knows," or, "Should I?" As the decision debt grows, so does your overwhelm, second-guessing, and self-doubt.

The longer you delay decisions, the longer you delay progress. Consider decisions that you've been ruminating on for years. (One I often hear from clients: "I can't decide whether I want to stay in this job or not.")

Clearing decision debt unlocks mental clarity. You get the idea out of your head and into the world, and you learn. Strong leaders understand that making decisions quickly, with confidence, is the only way to progress.

Grow More "I Have Decided" Energy

There is such a huge difference between leaders who have an, "I have decided" energy and those who don't. For example: There’s a world of difference between an executive who has decided a strategy will work and one who’s still secretly questioning it. It’s like a marriage—you can’t build a strong future with someone who’s only mostly in. The team can feel it, and it kills momentum.

One of the biggest differentiators between good and great executives that I've worked with? The great ones excel at making decisions. They accept that not all decisions will be perfect, some will fail, but they know that there is only one way to find out: They decide and go.

The less effective ones need a ton of information before they decide. They ask everyone for input. They torture themselves, they are convinced that there is a 'right' decision. In the meantime, years go by.

Here’s how to shift your approach:

• Instead of thinking, “I’m not sure this strategy will work,” think, “I trust this strategy and we’ll execute it.”

• Instead of thinking, “I'm not sure I have the right people on this team” decide, “This team can excel with the right leadership.”

• Instead of thinking, “I’m not sure I can lead this challenge,” say to yourself, “I've decided I'm the kind of leader who can always find a way."

How to Clear Your Decision Debt?

1. Identify stalled decisions: List the decisions you’ve delayed.

2. Make one quick decision: Start with something small.

3. Commit publicly: Share your decision to make it real.

4. Use a decision-making framework: Create criteria to simplify future decisions.

Clearing decision debt frees up space for strategic action and clearer thinking. It gets you moving. Stalled decisions kill goals, actions, and dreams.

Decide that making more decisions is going to be the answer for you, and get started.

To improve your decision-making, take the C-Suite Readiness Diagnostic. It’ll give you practical feedback on where you can sharpen your leadership and decision-making skills.