How successful leaders make better decisions under pressure

If you’ve ever agonised over a high-stakes call, hesitated too long, or felt paralysed by conflicting opinions — you’re not alone.

For senior leaders, decision-making isn’t just a strategic process. It’s a defining moment of leadership.

Every day, executives are called upon to make decisions in the face of ambiguity, time pressure, and competing stakeholder demands. Whether it’s a high-risk investment, a major restructure, or navigating geopolitical uncertainty, the choices you make can set the course for your team — and your organisation.

And yet, many organisations still struggle to make decisions well. Research from McKinsey shows that only 20% of executives believe their organisations excel at decision-making. In fact, ineffective decisions waste more than 500,000 days of managers’ time every year in a typical Fortune 500 company.

That’s a staggering loss of time, energy, and momentum.

I recently worked with a senior executive caught between two conflicting board directives. Instead of staying stuck in debate, she clarified the organisation’s values, made a clear call, and communicated her rationale with confidence. The outcome didn’t please everyone — but it did move the business forward and strengthened trust in her leadership.

So how can you build your decision-making capability — especially when the pressure’s on?

Here are five strategies to help leaders make better decisions under pressure:

1. Be seen to decide — because perception matters

It’s not enough to make sound decisions behind the scenes. Your team needs to see you making them.

Uncertainty at the top ripples outward, shaking confidence and momentum. The most effective leaders project clarity — even when they’re navigating the grey.

Try this: At each major milestone, communicate what’s been decided, why it matters, and what comes next. Clarity fuels confidence.

2. Define the problem first

Leaders often jump too quickly to solutions — without clarity on what they’re actually solving. That lack of alignment leads to confusion, false starts, and wasted energy.

Einstein said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” The message is timeless: time spent defining the issue is never wasted.

Try this: Before taking action, spend 10 minutes with your team clarifying: What’s the core problem? What assumptions are we making? That simple shift can unlock clarity and pace.

3. Push decisions down to move faster

Not every decision needs to be made at the top. High-performing organisations decentralise decision-making — empowering those closest to the issue to act. It’s not about stepping back; it’s about stepping aside when you can.

And when people are trusted to decide, they take ownership. Autonomy drives accountability.

Try this: When a decision lands on your desk, ask: “Is this something only I can decide — or can someone closer to the work take it forward?”

4. Focus on progress, not popularity

Leaders often hesitate when they anticipate resistance. But a lack of consensus doesn’t mean you’ve made the wrong call — and popularity isn’t the same as impact.

In high-stakes leadership, tough decisions are part of the job. And some pushback is a natural sign of progress.

Ask yourself: “Did we take a decisive step forward on what matters most — even if it wasn’t universally popular?”

5. Stay out of threat mode

Pressure can push us into fight, flight, or freeze. But great decisions don’t come from a reactive state.

To access your full executive functioning — the parts of your brain responsible for planning, reasoning, and risk evaluation — you need to stay in a state of psychological safety.

That means recognising when fear is driving the conversation and actively creating space to regulate.

Try this: When the tension rises, pause and ask: “What are we reacting to right now — and is it based on fact or fear?” A short pause can lower the temperature and sharpen your thinking.

Final thought

The worst decision isn’t the wrong one — it’s the one you never make.

Progress depends on movement, not perfection. As a leader, your role isn’t to always get it right. It’s to guide your team forward with clarity, courage, and a willingness to learn as you go.

If you’d like to sharpen your decision-making under pressure, I help leaders do just that. Get in touch if you’d like to explore how we can work together.