Leadership Essential: The Strength of Decisiveness
- James Rule
- Dec 5, 2025
- 2 min read
We talk a lot about clarity in leadership the ability to see the big picture, rally the team, and make progress, but none of that happens without one often overlooked skill: Decisiveness.
In the below episode of The Lonely Leader Podcast I explore why decisiveness isn’t just about speed it’s about courage, clarity, and momentum. In today’s complex world, indecision has become one of the most costly forms of inaction. It slows teams, stifles innovation, and chips away at trust.
Indecision is exhausting, for the leader trapped in “what ifs,” for the team waiting for clarity, and for the organisation trying to move forward while stuck in a holding pattern.
Most leaders don’t mean to hesitate but fear creeps in. Fear of being wrong, of criticism, or of not having the perfect answer. So they delay, reopen conversations, add more meetings… and slowly, momentum dies.
Decisiveness isn’t recklessness. It’s how leaders break the cycle of paralysis and move forward, even when conditions aren’t perfect.
The Colin Powell Principle: The 40–70 Rule
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell famously said:
“Don’t make a decision with less than 40% of the information, but if you wait until you have more than 70%, you’ve waited too long.”
It’s a liberating idea, you need enough information to avoid recklessness, but not so much that you’re paralysed. Powell understood what many forget: certainty doesn’t exist.
Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox, put it simply:
“Indecision is a decision. It’s the decision to do nothing. And it comes at a cost.”
The longer we wait, the more clarity fades, frustration rises, and momentum dissolves. Eventually, the decision gets made by circumstance.
10 Ways to Strengthen Your Decisiveness
In the below podcast episode I share 10 ways to strengthen your decisiveness. Here are the first five:
Set a decision deadline. Without a “by when,” you’ll drift.
Frame the stakes. Ask: what’s the cost of acting vs. not acting?
Clarify ownership. If it’s your call own it.
Apply the 40–70 rule. Decide, then course correct later.
Reduce decision fatigue. Simplify or delegate the small stuff.
Teams don’t expect perfection they expect leaders to lead. To decide. To own the outcome.
When you model that balance of conviction and reflection, you give your team permission to do the same.
Leadership Challenge
Choose one decision you’ve been avoiding. Set a deadline. Clarify the risk. Gather the facts. Then make the call.
To enjoy a deeper exploration of this Leadership Essential please listen to The Lonely Leader Podcast via the below links:
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