Don’t Decide With the Donut In Your Hand

Most bad decisions aren’t made in the moment.

They’re made because we wait until the moment to decide.

If you want to make better decisions, pre-decide.

If I’m standing in the break room holding a warm glazed donut, that’s a terrible time to ask myself whether I should eat it. At that point, I’m negotiating with my emotions, not my values.

The decision needed to happen before I ever walked into the room.

The same thing happens in leadership.

The best sales leaders don’t wait for a counselor to struggle before deciding to coach. They make coaching a habit, not a reaction.

Pre-decide instead.

“Every Friday, I’ll spend 30 minutes coaching each counselor, whether they had a great week or a tough one.”

Now the decision isn’t based on emotion. It’s based on discipline.

The strongest leaders don’t rely on willpower.

They build systems that make good decisions easier.

Pre-decide the standards you’ll live by before your emotions get a vote.