Courageous decision-making in a hyper-scrutinized world

Liz Stein is managing director of One Strategy Group.

Leadership has always required courage. Tough decisions with wide-ranging implications have been part of managing people and large companies for decades. Still, the past few years have shown us that additional pressures are forcing CEOs to draw on their courage in new ways.

There are more stakeholders pressuring leaders than ever before. Increasingly, people see the brands and companies they do business with and work for as extensions of themselves. Employees and customers alike are willing to be vocal about actions that don’t align with their expectations and make more and more decisions based on their values.

It follows, then, that leaders are scrutinized for how they position themselves and their companies within social, cultural, geopolitical and political conversations. Companies are expected to have a known position on many current topics. If they don’t, they can get called out or experience a mass exodus of support. All of these concerns now sit side-by-side with traditional fiscal concerns.

These conditions increase the personal and cultural issues that leaders have to consider when making important decisions. The implications are more complicated and less predictable than ever, and CEOs are feeling it all.

Navigating high-pressure decisions

In a post-playbook era like ours, each decision leaders make has a novel or unprecedented aspect that necessitates fresh thinking. Yet leaders can still proceed with thoughtfulness and order. By taking the courageous path, each high-pressure decision is an opportunity to demonstrate their thinking and reinforce their values.

Here are some guideposts that I recommend:

Develop a circle of trusted advisors: CEOs should be lifting their heads and looking down the road with a holistic point of view. Having trusted, smart people around you helps complete the picture. Find people steeped in specific areas of expertise and experiences you don’t have. By knowing what you don’t know and filling those gaps with others who do, you can create a better view of the situation.

Consider how the message will be communicated while you’re making the decision: Every decision has to be communicated at some point. Bring in comms team members upfront; they have insights into audiences and sentiments that CEOs usually don’t, but that are crucial to understanding short-term reactions and long-term implications. Playing out how a message will be shared can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of different options.

Do due diligence: Many strong leaders have strong intuitions. But facts and historical data are necessary for making high-pressure decisions and building trust in the outcome. Consider counterarguments and what other stories the data can tell. This process will strengthen your case as you move toward sharing a decision with others.

Understand quick versus slow decisions: Because business and tech developments happen quickly, everything else has a sense of urgency, too. But in reality, not every decision has to be made under an intense time crunch. Take a moment to assess the actual timeline for your decision, and don’t get pressured into moving too soon.

Think beyond the decision: In a highly scrutinized landscape, it is tempting to focus more on now and the near future because that is often what audiences are hyper-concerned about. But you can gain a much deeper understanding — and potentially a more reasoned story — if you consider a farther-out timeframe and balance here-and-now with what’s ahead.

Be authentic: Every decision is a people decision as much as a business one. Audiences can discern when leaders and companies are talking the talk but not walking the walk. In part, that is what the media’s intense scrutiny is rooting out. It takes courage for leaders to commit to who they are and what the company is now and wants to be in the future. Ask yourself: Do you have to comment on a current event? Do you need to be out front on the issue or trend, or can you take a back seat in the conversation? Are you writing and speaking like a human and thinking about the people on the receiving end of your message? These and other questions are best answered by returning to the only thing we can consistently be: ourselves.

In our always-connected, highly discerning world, every decision comes with risks. Sometimes, leaders should take action, and sometimes, they should refrain from action. Sometimes, decisions are data-driven, and other times they’re gut-driven. But with a thoughtful approach to communications, leaders can find the courage to make the call.