Developing a System for Quick Decision Making

Most people think career success comes from making the perfect decision. It doesn’t. It comes from making timely, values-aligned ones. Especially when the next step feels unclear. One of my clients, a brilliant VP, spent 3 months stuck on a single choice: “Do I speak up about being overlooked, or wait for my work to speak for itself?” She called it strategic patience. But it was really fear disguised as overthinking. We ran it through this framework. She made the call. Six weeks later, her promotion was fast-tracked. She was finally seen, heard, and most importantly, included. Because here’s what I tell every high-achiever I coach: You don’t need more time to decide. You need a better way to decide. Try the 2-Minute Decision Framework™ (Career Edition): 1. QUICK DECISIONS → Handle it NOW For low-stakes tasks that clog your mental bandwidth: → Can you respond to that email in < 2 minutes? → Is the request low risk and easily reversible? → Are you spiraling on something that just needs action? ✅ Do it. Momentum builds trust and confidence. (Your career doesn’t stall in the big moves, it drips away through tiny indecisions.) 2. TEAM DECISIONS → Resolve it TODAY For collaborative work or project bottlenecks: → Who’s recommending this approach? → Who’s doing the work? → Who’s accountable for the final call? ✍️ Assign roles. Align expectations. Move forward. (Most team confusion comes from no one knowing who’s driving.) Use this anytime you’re: – Leading a cross-functional project – Navigating performance reviews – Building team trust through shared clarity 3. CAREER DECISIONS → Make it THIS WEEK For decisions that affect your growth, visibility, and voice: Use the 3–2–1 Method: → 3 options: Brainstorm career paths, scripts, or solutions → 2 perspectives: Ask two mentors, not the whole internet → 1 call: Choose the path aligned with your long game 🎯 Clarity > complexity. Every time. This works for: – Deciding whether to advocate for a raise or promotion – Considering a lateral move for growth – Navigating visibility or speaking up on tough issues The truth is: courageous careers aren’t built on perfect plans. They’re built on small, aligned decisions made with intention. That’s C.H.O.I.C.E.® in action. So here’s your coaching moment: 🔥 Pick one decision you’ve been avoiding. Run it through the framework. Make the call within the next hour. Then ask yourself: What changed when I finally decided? ❓ What’s one career decision you’ve been sitting on too long? Share it below, or DM me, and we’ll run it through together. 🔖 Save this for your next “Should I…?” moment 👥 Tag someone who needs this framework in their toolkit Because alignment isn’t found in overthinking. It’s built through C.H.O.I.C.E.®. ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC for tools that actually work in real life. #CareerCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment

As a fighter pilot and military leader, I often had to make time-critical decisions. I never had perfect information or a 100% solution, but I still needed to be decisive and take action. It wasn’t always easy, but the more experience (and practice) I had, the easier it became to make decisions quickly. How did I get to the point where I felt confident in making quick decisions? 1️⃣ Prepare – do the research, know your stuff. It’s easier to make a quick decision when you have done the work to be knowledgeable about a situation. Going in cold is much more difficult. 2️⃣ Plan for contingencies – think through contingencies in advance. If you think through the “what ifs” in advance, then you will feel better prepared to make a decision. 3️⃣ Seek input – you don’t have to have all the answers. When time permits, seek out input from experts, and also from your team members who are closest to the action and will be most impacted by your decision. 4️⃣ Evaluate the pros and cons – Think through the consequences of your decision. How will it impact your team? What are the outcomes related to your decision? 5️⃣ Make the decision – Make a timely decision and communicate it to your team. Explain your thought process and reasoning to help gain buy-in and understanding. 6️⃣ Hold yourself accountable for the decision. If it’s wrong, admit it, and go back to adjust. We can all face challenges that can make us feel stressed or worried about making a timely decision. But when it comes down to it, leaders need to be prepared to make tough decisions in challenging circumstances when time is limited. #DecisionMaking #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadWithCourage

Life rewards those who decide. Not those who wait. Here’s how to make the right call, fast 👇: 🧠 The Science of Decision-Making:  Research shows that overthinking drains our cognitive energy, reduces our confidence, and can even lead to worse decisions. On the other hand, decisive people tend to be more productive, confident, and successful.  👉🏻 If you want to speed up your decision-making process without sacrificing quality, these 6 proven strategies are the answer. 1️⃣ Set Clear Criteria:   ↳ Decide what’s most important before making the decision.  ↳ Is it speed, cost, quality, or alignment with your values?  ↳ Having a clear framework in place simplifies complex choices and eliminates options that don’t fit. 2️⃣ Use the 70% Rule:   ↳ Adopted by Jeff Bezos, the idea is to make a decision when you have 70% of the information you need.  ↳ Waiting for 90% often means missing opportunities.  ↳ Remember: No decision is perfect; most are reversible. 3️⃣ Limit Your Options:   ↳ Studies show that having too many options can lead to decision fatigue.  ↳ Narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 viable ones.  ↳ When in doubt, eliminate anything that isn’t a clear “yes.” 4️⃣ Apply the 5-Minute Rule:   ↳ If a decision is not life-altering, give yourself just 5 minutes to make it.  ↳ This forces you to trust your instincts and prevents you from getting bogged down in unnecessary details. 5️⃣ Pre-Decide with “If-Then” Plans:   ↳ Reduce decision fatigue by creating “If-Then” rules. For example, “If it’s a project under $1,000, then I’ll delegate it to my team.” ↳ This simplifies decision-making and speeds up your process. 6️⃣ Embrace Imperfection:   ↳ Fear of failure often slows us down.  ↳ Understand that mistakes are a part of growth.  ↳ Make peace with the fact that not every decision will be perfect, but every decision is an opportunity to learn. 📝 Why It Matters:   Faster decision-making means less stress, more productivity, and more time focusing on what truly matters.  It also builds confidence and decisiveness, which are key traits of effective leaders. ♻️ Your Turn:  What’s one decision-making tip that has helped you the most?  Share in the comments below, or tag someone who needs to read this. 📌 PS... “Indecision is the thief of opportunity.” - Jim Rohn 🚀 Follow Harry Karydes for more daily tips to engineer your ideal life through mindset, habits and systems.

How to master quick decision-making in business (A guide): 1. Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Don’t delay decisions waiting for the perfect solution - an imperfect decision is better than none. You can always adjust later. 2. Speed up your experiments. The faster you can learn from a decision, the quicker you can iterate and improve. 3. Consult trusted voices and reflect quietly. Your intuition, honed by experience, is a critical tool for making swift decisions. Trust it. 4. Difficult decisions require open dialogue. Whether it’s a spontaneous chat or a scheduled check-in, make sure your team feels safe to discuss challenges. 5. Recurring meetings provide a safety net. Even if not always used, they ensure decisions are made promptly rather than dragged out over weeks. 6. After gathering input, take time to reflect and journal. This process sharpens your thinking and helps refine your decisions. 7. Regular check-ins with coaches or peers help you continuously optimize strategies and keep your decision-making sharp. 8. Once you’ve made a decision, act on it immediately. Clarity without execution is wasted potential. 9. Encourage a culture where difficult issues are openly discussed. This not only strengthens decision-making but also builds trust and resilience within the team. 10. Your gut feeling, informed by experience and reflection, is often your best guide in complex situations. Hone it like a skill. 11. Keep decision-making straightforward. Complex processes slow you down - simplicity is your ally in speed. 12. Regular updates and feedback from trusted advisors help refine your approach and ensure you’re making the best decisions possible. Make the last 4 months of 2024 yours. Don’t wait - start making faster, more informed decisions today.