Seven Decisions

1. Vanilla. Someone decided. Good. No further questions. We can make progress now.
2. Educated. You ask why they decided, and they can clearly explain their reasoning. Not everyone might appreciate the decision, but they will be given the opportunity to understand.¹
3. Calculated. Not only can they explain the decision, but they have math! Wow, I’m super convinced now.
4. Instinct. They attempt to explain their reasoning, but they say “feel” a lot. A lot. Thing is, it feels right, so you don’t press.
5. Inspired. Now you press, and they can tell you want a clear rationale and justification, but none obviously exists. This decision is not meant to be understood; it’s meant to be appreciated for its poetry. It is 100% expected that inspired decisions are going to frustrate those seeking clarity; they are going to point at the lack of a clear explanation. “He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing. It’s a guess.” It might be a guess, but it also might be art in the making.^{2 3}
6. Minimum Viable. My least favorite. Your investigation into their justification reveals that they chose a decision that was not designed to be good; it was constructed to offend the fewest humans. This is not leadership — it’s fear.
7. Delegated. Rather than doing the minimal work of even making a minimum viable decision, they gave the decision to someone else because — and I quote — “They are more capable of making this decision.” What they are actually saying is, “I would prefer that this human deal with the weight and consequences for this decision.” The good news: at least you got a decision.

Sometimes, they don’t decide. You push, you prod, but they won’t decide. No, they didn’t delegate, no, they didn’t wing it, they just waited and waited… kind’a maybe hoping the need for this decision would vanish. Technically, deciding not to decide is a decision, and that’s a choice, but it’s not leadership.