Enhancing Decision-Making Skills

I was Wrong about Influence. Early in my career, I believed influence in a decision-making meeting was the direct outcome of a strong artifact presented and the ensuing discussion. However, with more leadership experience, I have come to realize that while these are important, there is something far more important at play. Influence, for a given decision, largely happens outside of and before decision-making meetings. Here's my 3 step approach you can follow to maximize your influence: (#3 is often missed yet most important) 1. Obsess over Knowing your Audience Why: Understanding your audience in-depth allows you to tailor your communication, approach and positioning. How: ↳ Research their backgrounds, how they think, what their goals are etc. ↳ Attend other meetings where they are present to learn about their priorities, how they think and what questions they ask. Take note of the topics that energize them or cause concern. ↳ Engage with others who frequently interact with them to gain additional insights. Ask about their preferences, hot buttons, and any subtle cues that could be useful in understanding their perspective. 2. Tailor your Communication Why: This ensures that your message is not just heard but also understood and valued. How: ↳ Seek inspiration from existing artifacts and pickup queues on terminologies, context and background on the give topic. ↳ Reflect on their goals and priorities, and integrate these elements into your communication. For instance, if they prioritize efficiency, highlight how your proposal enhances productivity. ↳Ask yourself "So what?" or "Why should they care" as a litmus test for relatability of your proposal. 3. Pre-socialize for support Why: It allows you to refine your approach, address potential objections, and build a coalition of support (ahead of and during the meeting). How: ↳ Schedule informal discussions or small group meetings with key stakeholders or their team members to discuss your idea(s). A casual coffee or a brief virtual call can be effective. Lead with curiosity vs. an intent to respond. ↳ Ask targeted questions to gather feedback and gauge reactions to your ideas. Examples: What are your initial thoughts on this draft proposal? What challenges do you foresee with this approach? How does this align with our current priorities? ↳ Acknowledge, incorporate and highlight the insights from these pre-meetings into the main meeting, treating them as an integral part of the decision-making process. What would you add? PS: BONUS - Following these steps also expands your understanding of the business and your internal network - both of which make you more effective. --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

Let's face it. We're not as cool-headed as we think. Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate, brought it into the limelight with his groundbreaking work, "Thinking, Fast and Slow". We've got two systems at play here. System 1: Quick, intuitive. But often erroneous. System 2: Deliberate, analytical. Yet, we don't employ it as often as we should. We're run by biases, deeply ingrained. Think you're immune? The numbers say otherwise. Research shows, 95% of our purchasing decisions are subconscious (Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman). Your favorite brand of cereal? Probably not a logical choice. That car you bought last year? Primarily driven by emotion, not horsepower specs. We're victims of a prehistoric programming. Survival instincts from our cave-dwelling ancestors. But it's the 21st century. We can't afford to let primitive instincts drive modern decisions. How do we tackle this? Acknowledge it. Know the enemies: confirmation bias, anchoring, overconfidence. They're not just fancy terms. They dictate our decisions, daily. Dissect it. Dive deep. Understand the root. Why did you choose that investment? Because your neighbor did? Or was it a calculated move, backed by data? Rise above it. Develop a system, a checklist. Foster skepticism, encourage debate. Break the chains of instinctive decision-making. Yes, it's hard. But necessary. You're not as rational as you think. Be aware. Be vigilant. Dare to defy your brain's natural inclinations. And the next time your instincts scream? Give it a moment. Let logic catch up.

Tired of hearing the same old buzzwords about leadership skills like communication, collaboration, and so on? Ok- let's shift the conversation today to other equally vital, yet often overlooked, skills like lucid clarity and noise filtering. "Lucid clarity," is the ability to see situations and goals with sharp focus, free from the distractions and noise that often cloud our judgment. It's kind of like the opposite to mental fog. It's existence is crucial in leaders so that they pass it on to their teams for effective execution. Unfortunately, in many teams, this clarity is missing due to ineffective leader behaviours like 🔷 overload of information and tasks 🔷 overcomplicating processes and 🔷 inundating teams with an endless stream of priorities. When leaders develop lucid clarity, they put LESS PRESSURE on people and provide MORE SPACE for people to work on what's really important. And because everyone knows what the priorities are, it reduces the stress of trying to juggle too many tasks or unclear objectives, which also leads to less micromanagement and better relationships. I mentioned a second skill above- 'noise filtering'. This skill actually supports the development of lucid clarity. "Noise" can come from various sources—leaders can find themselves overwhelmed with information and requests from their manager(s), team(s), customer(s) as well as external pressures. If leaders don’t have the ability to filter out noise, they risk losing sight of what really matters. Leaders who lack this skill may feel overwhelmed and reactive, always changing direction to deal with the latest crisis or trend. This is damaging for organizations because it causes confusion and uncertainty among teams. On the other hand, leaders who CAN cut through the noise are decisive and viewed as reliable and confident. They are therefore more likely to be trusted. Found this interesting? Want to work on these skills? Here's a few tips. ✅ Seek out and consider diverse perspectives to prevent confirmation bias ✅ Use a Decision Making Framework ✅ Prioritize ruthlessly ✅ Say "no" to tasks and initiatives that don't align with priorities ✅ Consistently evaluate what's most important (with others) ✅ Identify and address sources (and potential sources) of noise #leadership #leadershipskills #clarity #noise #decisionmaking #prioritization

C-level leaders get to places most people won’t because they make decisions differently. I helped build the data and AI decision-support platforms for some of the largest companies in the US over the last decade. Here’s a simple primer to go from tactical and operational to strategic decision-making. Tactical minds spend their time making decisions and improving the decisions they make. We’re taught to scrutinize decisions and improve one decision at a time. It sounds great, but it’s the slowest path to improvement. Operational minds spend their time understanding and improving their decision-making process. High-quality leadership training programs teach a structured decision-making process and decision hygiene best practices. Operational decision-makers spend years finding and perfecting a decision-making process that works for them. However, when the pressure’s high, they deviate from the process, and all that work fails when they need it most. Strategic minds spend their time understanding why they make the decisions they do and improving their alignment with their goals and desired outcomes. Great decisions begin with a mission, vision, and purpose. Strategic minds stand out through their outcomes-based focus and forward-looking decisions. The goal isn’t perfect decisions or process. It’s perfect alignment and singular direction.

"What if I make the wrong decision?" "What if users hate my product?" "What do I tell my manager?" Every product manager sometimes fears making decisions because our decisions have long-lasting and drastic impact on our users and the business. If you fear making a decision, the solution is 𝗡𝗢𝗧 to avoid it. Instead, it is to make the "𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲" given the knowledge, information, and experience you have. When I am in situations where I need to make a critical decision with limited information, this is what I do: 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝘀 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 I gather more information via user research, market analysis, stakeholder input, and competitive analysis. The more information I have, the better the decision. 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 This helps me focus on the most critical decisions. It helps me not get distracted by irrelevant/less important aspects. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. I like to, first, think of multiple options. Then I weigh the pros and cons of all options using as much data and information as possible. This approach forces me to objectively think of the positive impact and compare it to the potential risks. This improves my decision quality. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. Different perspectives expose me to ideas I wouldn't have thought of alone. These new ideas make my decision more thorough. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁 There is never a perfect time to make a decision. When I have the information I can get quickly, I go ahead and make the decision. I then document my approach, reasoning, and rationale for making the decision. This document acts as a quick reference for later and keeps improving my decision-making process. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲. Even if I make one wrong decision, that does not always mean that all future decisions will be wrong, so I stop, evaluate, measure, and improve after every decision. -- In most situations, PMs will never have the perfect information required to make the perfect decision. So, always aim to make the "best decision" based on the information you have. Data, logic, open-mindedness, and critical thinking help make the "best decision possible" in most situations. Remember: Perfection is not the goal. Progress is.

Domain expertise gets you to the table. Emotional fluency keeps you there. In every leadership crisis I've seen over two decades, emotional fluency outperforms domain expertise. Five ways emotionally-fluent leaders stand out: 1. Recognition  Naming emotions in real-time without judgment. (The language that creates instant psychological safety) 2. Spacing  Creating a gap between trigger and response. (The five-second practice that prevents reactions you will regret) 3. Exploration Mining discomfort for hidden intelligence. (How tensions reveal unaddressed strategic concerns) 4. Expression Communicating emotions as data, not drama. (The formula that transforms vulnerability into influence) 5. Integration Using emotional insights for better decisions. (Why the "feeling in your gut" often outperforms spreadsheet logic) Wisdom from watching business transform: - The board chair who turned a dysfunctional dynamic not by changing governance procedures, but by creating emotional safety - The acquisition team that salvaged a failing integration by addressing unspoken fears rather than revising financial models - The exec committee that resolved a 3-year-long strategic deadlock after learning to name and navigate tension Domain knowledge is replaceable. Emotional fluency is the irreplaceable competitive advantage.

People feel before they think, or more precisely, they feel while they think.   And often, that’s what shapes their reality.   We love to believe we’re logical creatures. That our ideas will be heard if they’re well-structured, supported by data, and clearly delivered. We like to believe that logic leads our decisions. That reason comes first, emotion second.   Neuroscience and behavioral psychology tell a different story. One that every leader, speaker, and communicator needs to understand.   Antonio Damasio, a renowned neuroscientist, studied patients with damage to the part of the brain responsible for integrating emotion with decision-making. These individuals could still process information logically, but they couldn’t decide. They’d spend hours debating trivial matters, unable to move forward. Without emotion, even the most rational mind stalls.   Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman introduced us to the concept of two systems of thinking. – System 1: fast, emotional, automatic. – System 2: slow, deliberate, analytical.   Most decisions are made by System 1, then justified (post-rationalized) by System 2. In other words, we often feel first and think second.   This has profound implications for how we lead and communicate.   When we speak, advise, or try to influence, we usually focus on content—on what we want people to understand.   People don’t absorb meaning through logic alone. They interpret it through emotional filters: – Do I feel safe with this person? – Do I trust their intent? – Do I feel respected and seen?   If the emotional atmosphere is off, even the best ideas fall flat.   This doesn’t mean abandoning logic. It means understanding that emotional presence is a prerequisite for cognitive impact. Before people remember your message, they remember how you made them feel.   Next time you're preparing for an important conversation or a presentation, don’t just ask, what am I going to say? Ask: – What do I want them to feel? – What emotional cues am I sending, consciously or not?   Influence is not just about clarity. It’s about connection. And connection always begins with emotion.

Steve Jobs (and Elizabeth Holmes) wore a black turtleneck. Zuckerberg only wore grey shirts. Obama stuck to blue or grey suits while president. Why did these 3 people at the top of their game decide to wear a uniform? To make better decisions. Let’s discuss: The average person makes 35,000 decisions per day. Yet a select few decisions drive the majority of the outcomes. Zuckerberg said he wanted to “make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community (Facebook).” They all believed that brain power used on inconsequential things increased their decision fatigue and left less for the most important decisions. So, instead, they offloaded them with default choices. First, how do we know what decisions to prioritize? For me, they have to have a material cost of: 1. Time or time horizon (greater than 1 year) 2. Profits (greater than 10% change) 3. People (time, stress, etc) 4. Leverage (monetary & personally) I think of leverage in two ways. 1. Opportunities that expand your range of outcomes (new job that opens door to much larger book of business). 2. Opportunities that shrink your range of outcomes (closing in on debt limit). The "uniform" is only one strategy, and honestly a bit of a goofy one. So what other ways can we improve our decision-making? Here are 7 strategies for making better decisions: 1) Make big decisions early in your day As you get further and further into the day, the number of decisions we’ve made starts to deplete our energy. 2) Time block A day that’s not organized is a day that “disappears.” Time naturally goes to the route with the least resistance. Time blocking your most important tasks ensures they don’t get squeezed out. 3) Eisenhower Decision Matrix The Eisenhower Matrix has you label decisions by two categories: important and urgent. The 2x2 matrix creates four quadrants that allow you to see (and prioritize) the most important and urgent tasks. 4) Delegate authority Don’t just delegate tasks, but delegate “authority” too. Quit doing level 1-3 delegation when you should be doing levels 4-5 delegation: 1—Do as I say 2—Research and report 3—Research and recommend 4—Decide and inform 5—Act independently 5) Automate your decisions Follow the likes of Steve Jobs, Zuckerberg, and Obama and automate what doesn’t matter. These small decisions add up, so by removing the choice, you can allocate more time to what’s important. 6) Prioritize rest & sleep Lack of sleep leads to a similar impairment level as drinking to the legal limit. Prioritize: ▸ 6-8 hours of sleep per night ▸ a consistent bed & waketime 7) Eliminate the unessential That individual request seems innocuous. But all those little things add up. -see Eisenhower Matrix below Our goal with each solution is to reduce the number of inconsequential decisions we’re making so we can put more focus and energy into the major decisions. Reflect: am I making this decision in a depleted state or a full state?

𝙄 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖 “𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢” 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 $300𝙆. Here's the decision playbook that made it easy. If that sounds wild, read Emma McQueen’s story first... she walked away from a $300K client because it no longer aligned with her values. That line hit me hard... clarity reduces complexity. Her post - https://lnkd.in/guxsvsiN Over the years leading growth and marketing teams, I’ve learned that tough calls aren’t a willpower problem, they’re a systems problem. When the stakes are high (budget, brand, people), I run this 5-step 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: 1) Start with values -> write the "non-negotiables" When values are explicit, trade-offs get simpler. If a decision conflicts with a non-negotiable (e.g., data privacy, fair pricing, team wellbeing), it’s an automatic “no,” even when short-term revenue tempts a “yes.” 2) Run a 10/10/10 check (emotion out, perspective in) Ask: How will this feel in 10 days, 10 months, 10 years? This reframes urgency bias. Pair it with Jeff Bezos’s 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, will saying yes/no reduce long term regret when I’m 80? These time horizons nudge us away from fear based choices. 3) Take the "outside view" (base rates > gut feel) Most of us are overconfident about unique outcomes. Before committing, I look at base rates:  • What happened to similar campaigns, partnerships, or launches?  • What’s the statistical likelihood of success given constraints? Quick ways to apply:  • Pull success/attrition rates from past projects  • Benchmark channel performance vs. industry reports, not anecdotes Write a brief “outside view” paragraph before approving the plan 4) Do a 20-minute pre-mortem Instead of asking “Why might this work?”, I ask the team: Assume it failed badly... what went wrong? List risks, assign owners, add kill-switch metrics. Pre-mortems surface blind spots early and increase follow-through on mitigations. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀  • Less noise, more signal. Values and base rates strip away narrative bias.  • Fewer unforced errors. Pre-mortems reduce “I didn’t think of that” failures.  • Speed where it’s safe. Splitting reversible vs. irreversible decisions preserves momentum. Sources & further reading:  • Gary Klein, Performing a Project Premortem - https://lnkd.in/g2NfcnEB   • McKinsey & Company, Decision making in organizations - https://lnkd.in/giG87skX   • Regret Minimization Framework - https://lnkd.in/gaStT2M5   • PMI, Reference Class Forecasting & Outside View - https://lnkd.in/gTU9yYxq If you’d like my 1-page worksheet version of this playbook, say “Checklist” and I’ll share it. LinkedIn for Marketing | Digital Marketing | LinkedIn for Learning

Stop leading like it's 1995. Modern vs. outdated leadership: Most managers want to "lead modern teams." But no one describes what that actually looks like. It's not a motivational speech or a new app - It's the small choices you make about: ↳How work gets done ↳How people grow ↳How decisions get made. Here are 11 shifts that separate outdated from modern leadership: 1. Performance Reviews ↳Old Style: Sitting down once a year for a formal review ↳New Style: Having short weekly check-ins to ask "What's working? What's stuck?" 2. Healthy Work Pace ↳Old Style: Sending late-night emails and expecting quick replies ↳New Style: Blocking off recharge time and encouraging people to log off 3. Productive Meetings ↳Old Style: Weekly status meetings for every project ↳New Style: Meeting only to decide or unblock 4. Tools and Automation ↳Old Style: Blocking new tools to keep control ↳New Style: Approving safe tools and automating repetitive work 5. Sharing Information ↳Old Style: Keeping updates in private meetings or email chains ↳New Style: Posting decisions and notes in a shared document or channel 6. Developing People ↳Old Style: Giving quick answers when someone brings a problem ↳New Style: Asking "What do you think we should try first?" 7. Everyday Recognition ↳Old Style: Saving praise for annual awards or big launches ↳New Style: Giving frequent, specific recognition in the moment 8. Scaling Leadership ↳Old Style: Requiring every small decision to come through the leader ↳New Style: Creating checklists or playbooks so others can decide without waiting 9. Planning and Strategy ↳Old Style: Writing a detailed annual plan and sticking to it relentlessly ↳New Style: Testing a small pilot, then expanding if it works 10. Hiring Talent ↳Old Style: Choosing candidates from well-known schools or companies ↳New Style: Choosing candidates who show they can learn quickly and adapt 11. Career Growth Paths ↳Old Style: Expecting employees to climb a single ladder ↳New Style: Supporting lateral moves, new skills, and trial roles None of these changes require a new budget or a new title. They just require managers willing to trade control for clarity - And old habits for better systems. Which one of these shifts feels most relevant to you right now? --- ♻️ Share this to help inspire more modern leaders. And follow me George Stern for more leadership content.