Here is today's quick question for you...​Why does this decision feel hard?

Sometimes, a pros and cons list just doesn’t cut it. When a choice feels unusually tough, it's often because something else is going on. Maybe it challenges our values, our identity, or our vision of the future. Decode that difficulty is the key to simplifying the decision.

Ask it when you're...

1. Procrastinating - When you find yourself avoiding a decision that looks simple on paper, consider why you might be resisting.

2. Feeling disproportionately uncomfortable - If the emotional weight doesn't match the practical stakes, there's usually something underneath worth exploring.

3. Getting conflicting advice - When trusted advisors are pulling you in different directions, the difficulty might stem from competing values rather than unclear facts.

Ask it when you're...

1. Second-guessing a decision - When that familiar doubt settles in, this question helps distinguish between healthy reflection and destructive rumination.

2. Facing a high-stakes choice - Before you commit, getting clear on your success criteria prevents you from shifting the goalposts later when pressure increases.

3. Leading through uncertainty - When your team is looking to you for confidence, acknowledging that "rightness" is often unattainable rather than predetermined can increase their trust in your leadership.

Here is today's quick question for you...​How will we know we’ve made the right choice?

This question keeps many leaders up at night. Big decisions made with incomplete information are revisited and sometimes relitigated. The concept of ‘rightness’ is the topic of many debates in coaching sessions with my clients.

Ask it when you're...

1. Second-guessing a decision - When that familiar doubt settles in, this question helps distinguish between healthy reflection and destructive rumination.

2. Facing a high-stakes choice - Before you commit, getting clear on your success criteria prevents you from shifting the goalposts later when pressure increases.

3. Leading through uncertainty - When your team is looking to you for confidence, acknowledging that "rightness" is often unattainable rather than predetermined can increase their trust in your leadership.

Here is today's quick question for you...​What if we do nothing?

Those of you with a strong bias for action are probably feeling pretty uncomfortable right about now. And if you like to ponder deeply before deciding, I suspect you’re loving this question.

Ask it when you're...

1. Feeling like none of the options are right - When there’s pressure to do something, but nothing feels right, stopping to consider the ‘do nothing’ option can unlock the path to a good decision.

2. Resisting momentum - If you feel like the train is running way too fast and quick-fire decisions are creating risk, then a ‘do nothing’ prompt can be a helpful circuit breaker.

3. Burned out - Maybe your team needs a break, and a ‘do nothing’ day would give them a fresh perspective and energy.

Here is today's quick question for you...​What happens if we wait?

Balancing prudent decision making and a bias for action can be tough, especially when under pressure. Understanding the impact of time can help navigate this challenge.

Ask it when you're...

1. Feeling the need for more data - Seeking more data can create the impression of safety or prudence, but what if the delay has other implications?

2. Sensing hesitation or conservatism from your colleagues - Getting others to acknowledge the impact of waiting can create greater understanding of the benefits and risks that waiting may produce.

3. In a team that rushes to decisions - This question may increase understanding of the benefits of a more considered approach. It may also create space for new information or dynamics to present themselves.

Here is today's quick question for you...​Who has the D?

If you’re familiar with the RAPID framework, you’ll know that the D is for Decide. I’ve seen so much time wasted, especially in cross-functional teams, because people are unsure who has the authority to make a decision. They don’t know who has the D.

Ask it when you're...

1. Establishing a cross-functional team - Understanding roles, responsibilities, and decision protocols up front will save you a lot of heartache down the track.

2. Feeling agitation among your colleagues - when frustrated by a lack of progress, team members will express, but may be unable to escape the vortex of indecision. This question may give them a path forward.

3. Making decisions with significant consequences - The weightier the decision, the greater the need for clarity on the D.

Here is today's quick question for you...​How do our values show up in our decision-making?

The quality of collective decision-making is coming up in many of my coaching conversations. Over the next 6 weeks, I’ll feature a series of questions designed to help you create the conditions for better decisions. Starting with values…

Ask it when you're...

1. Reflecting on the impact of past decisions - As an LT, your decisions send ripples throughout the organisation. People want to trust that your values are embedded in every call you make.

2. Making a hard call - The toughest decisions are often the ones that involve tension between values. Calling them out and describing how they’re showing up for each person can help navigate to an outcome.

3. Sensing groupthink - If it feels like your team is on a runaway train, pausing and anchoring back to values can help reorient the conversation.

Quick Question: What would you like to be acknowledged for?

This question is a great opportunity to reinforce the role you want recognition to play in your team culture.

When responding to this question, team members will likely tell you more than they realise - by what they say and what they leave out.

Quick Question: What am I responsible for?

This question is a great opportunity to step back and ensure that you’ve designed your own performance standards.

It will help you focus your leadership on actions, outcomes and people - creating your desired culture.

Quick Question: What is holding us back?

As a leader, it’s easy to default to defensive mode when asking about what is stopping progress. But that isn’t helpful. Try not to take the answers personally. Focus on the role you can play in removing the blockages and enabling your team to move forward and deliver outcomes.

Quick Question: What would have to be true...?

This question is, in essence, a test of believability. It can be divided into two parts: what I would have to believe and how likely I am to believe it. 

It is helpful for leaders developing strategy, hiring new team members and challenging decision making.