Back to all posts
A client came to me having wrestled with the same decision for three weeks.
Same pros. Same cons. Same list, just re-read.
What she realized was missing wasn’t information.
It was permission to move before she felt certain.
You know that loop: Wanting to make the right move, the smart one, the one you won’t regret. So you think it through.
Then you think it through again. Just to check. And maybe one more time.
Most people would call that being thorough.
But here’s what’s usually underneath it: more thinking isn’t a strategy. It’s hesitation, wearing the costume of preparation.
The brain wants certainty. One perfect path, guaranteed. And when it can’t find one, because there rarely is one it stalls. It keeps you circling the decision instead of making it.
Effective leadership doesn’t work that way.
There isn’t one perfect move. There are many workable ones, each with real trade-offs. The unfortunate paradox is: The clarity you’re waiting for on paper usually only shows up once you move.
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."
So instead of one more analysis loop:
- Take the next step, even imperfect. Momentum creates insight.
- Lower the stakes. Break the decision into a smaller piece you can act on today.
- Treat each move as data. Feedback builds confidence faster than thinking ever will.
And the discomfort you feel as you move?
The bad news is, it doesn’t stop.
But you can change what it means to you.
Instead of “stop”, switch it to “stretch”.
If the certainty you’re waiting for never arrives, what would you do this week?
Leadership isn’t built in theory.
It’s built in motion.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
Walt Disney
Entertainment Pioneer
