Tips for Managing Decision-Dependent Uncertainty

Indecision costs more than bad decisions. Most leaders don’t get stuck because they lack data—they get stuck because they’re afraid of being wrong in public. If you're a founder, C-suite exec, or someone building under pressure, here's the decision-making system I coach leaders to internalize — especially during high-stakes pivots: Step 1: Ask yourself—Is this decision reversible? If it is, you are wasting time trying to perfect something that can be tested and corrected. Reversible decisions are low-cost experiments in disguise. Most of your growth is locked behind these “test-and-learn” loops that never happen—because your ego wants a perfect plan before taking action. If it’s reversible → make the call, move fast, measure feedback, adjust later. The best operators don’t fear failure. They fear stagnation. Step 2: If irreversible—how much time do you really have to decide? If there’s no time, you default to the clearest and safest path that preserves stakeholder trust and institutional integrity. If you do have time, don’t spend it collecting more data—spend it evaluating the right risks. Ask: What is the actual downside? What outcome would I regret not choosing 10 years from now? Which option gives me the highest long-term leverage, even if it’s uncomfortable now? Great CEOs are not afraid to make unpopular calls. They’re afraid of leaving leverage on the table. Step 3: Clarify the level of uncertainty—and your ability to absorb risk. You don’t need 100% clarity. You need enough clarity to act with conviction. If uncertainty is high, build a buffer—but don’t retreat into delay. Calculate risk, isolate worst-case impact, and move toward the option you can recover from even if it fails. Step 4: If everything is still murky—trust trained instinct, not raw emotion. Gut feeling isn’t magic. It’s accumulated pattern recognition built through experience and reflection. But if the clock is ticking and you’ve thought it through—don’t outsource your final call. Indecision is not strategy—it’s a silent killer of growth, culture, and momentum. Clarity is a CEO’s greatest asset. And clarity is built, not gifted. #ExecutiveLeadership #CeoCoach #StrategicDecisions #FounderWisdom #MentalModels #LeadershipExecution #HighPerformanceThinking

Want to make better decisions in the age of AI uncertainty? I developed a risk mitigation principle a few years back called 'Worst Case Best Action' (WCBA) that might help: 1. Imagine the worst possible scenario(s)  2. List all potential actions you could take if they happened 3. Score those same actions against the best-case scenario 4. Choose actions that works best Example: "AI takes all jobs" ⏩ Action: Going off-grid, withdrawing from society 📄 Score if best case happens instead: 1/10 (you've isolated yourself for no reason) ⏩ Action: Learning to work alongside AI systems 📄 Score if best case happens instead: 9/10 (you've gained valuable skills regardless) AI can even help with this. Success doesn’t require you perfectly predict the future—pick the action that strengthens your position.

A lot of women I'm talking to are feeling defeated by the AI uncertainty, unpredictable layoffs and budget cutbacks at companies. "Everything feels shaky." "I don’t know what’s expected of me anymore." "Even the high performers are getting laid off." I get it. I've felt it too. I've been through enough org restructures, promotion hopes that never came, mass layoffs, and more. One of the sharpest leaders I know once told me, "Clarity isn’t a deliverable. It’s not coming in your inbox, Bosky." What helped me move forward wasn’t certainty. It was a new way of thinking. Here's what I will tell you: 1. Treat uncertainty like a problem worth solving, not a signal to pause. The best problem-solvers I’ve worked with (and tried to become) don’t wait for permission or perfect clarity. They treat unclear situations the same way they’d treat a buggy system or a failing launch: → Break it down → Look for knowns vs. unknowns → Run small, low-risk experiments → Talk to 3 people smarter than them → Turn ambiguity into questions they can answer You don’t need a perfect plan. You need a process that keeps you moving. 2. Timebox the rabbit hole. I used to waste days trying to feel 100% confident before making a call or a change. Now? I give myself a deadline. Because the real risk isn’t being wrong. The real risk is going quiet. Staying stuck. Waiting. These shifts didn’t make uncertainty go away. But they made me braver inside it. If everything feels unclear right now, it doesn’t mean you’re lost. It means you’re leading through fog, and there are ways to move through it. Redesign how you're moving forward. And it begins with the mental models you're using in times like these. ♻️ Repost this so it helps more people. 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in tech leadership. #leadership #womenleaders #cxos #womenintech #womeninbusiness