Blog

By Machen MacDonald

Indecision doesn’t always look like fear. Sometimes, it looks like long meetings. Delayed launches. Spinning options. Sleeping poorly because something still feels… off.

If you’re a CEO or business owner, you’ve likely faced it: the high-stakes decision that won’t make itself. And with every day that passes, you feel the quiet drag on momentum, trust, and clarity.

Here’s the truth: successful leaders aren’t the ones who always make perfect decisions. They’re the ones who keep making smart, fast, intentional ones.

The best use a simple, powerful rhythm I call D.R.I.V.E.

It’s the five-part pattern that pulls you out of overthinking and puts you back in command.

D – Define the Fear

Every stuck decision has a shadow. That shadow is fear: fear of loss, conflict, judgment, or failure. Most leaders pretend it’s about “needing more data.” It’s not.

One CEO I work with delayed letting go of a legacy VP for 8 months. Why? It wasn’t metrics… it was guilt. Once we named it, clarity came fast. He made the move. The culture lifted immediately, and performance spiked within 30 days.

Ask: What fear is keeping this decision open? What truth am I avoiding?

R – Reduce the Surface Area

Big decisions feel overwhelming because we treat them like one giant block. But real decisions are made of parts.

A client facing a $2.4M expansion broke it into 3 phases: test, validate, scale. What felt terrifying became clear. They saved $1M by spotting a mismatch early and pivoted profitably.

Ask: What’s the smallest version of this decision I can test right now?

I – Impose a Deadline

Open loops drain energy. The longer you linger, the weaker the decision becomes and the more it hurts your credibility.

A founder I coach instituted a 7-day decision window on all strategic items. Result? 40% increase in speed across teams, and better post-mortems with clear ownership.

Ask: When will this decision be made and what happens if it’s not?

V – Verify Strategic Fit

Not every “good idea” belongs in your business. You need a simple filter that brings focus and alignment.

Here’s a quick one:

• Does it support our top 3 priorities?
• Can we execute this well with what we have?
• Will it simplify or complicate the business?

If you’re not scoring 2 out of 3, pause or pivot.

Ask: Is this just exciting or is it essential?

E – Evaluate and Debrief

What you don’t evaluate, you repeat. The best CEOs build confidence by reviewing how decisions were made, not just what results they created.

One client added a “decision retro” to each quarterly exec meeting. Result? Fewer repeated mistakes, more repeatable wins, and a sharper culture of ownership.

Ask: What worked, what didn’t, and what will we do differently next time?

What’s the decision that’s been circling your head for too long?

Use D.R.I.V.E. to run it down. You don’t need more information, you need a rhythm that produces momentum.

Pick one decision you’ve been delaying. Run it through D.R.I.V.E. this week. Make the call or define what needs to be true in order to move.

If you want to work through it with someone who’s helped CEOs and owners move from stuck to strategic for over 20 years, let’s talk.

Make it up, make it fun, and get it done!

#1 bestselling author Machen MacDonald, CPCC, CCSC is an award-winning certified life strategist and business coach with ProBrilliance Leadership Institute in Grass Valley, CA. He helps professionals bring their “A” Game to their Hero’s Journey. He can be reached at [email protected] and 530-273-8000