The Decision Velocity Tax: 7 Hidden Ways Leadership Slows Execution

Most teams do not have a strategy problem. They have a throughput problem. Decisions take longer than they should. Decisions get revisited. Decisions get made, then quietly undone. Each delay looks small in isolation. Together they create a tax that compounds every week.

Decision velocity is not about rushing. It is about clarity, ownership, and follow-through. Here are seven common “tax lines” I see in growing teams, plus the simplest corrective move for each.

1) The “We Need More Input” Loop

Signal: Decisions stall while more stakeholders are added.

Fix: Define who is a decider, who is a recommender, and who is informed. Then time-box input.

2) The “Consensus as Safety” Habit

Signal: People wait for universal agreement, then nothing moves.

Fix: Use “disagree and commit.” Commitments are visible. Disagreements are documented.

3) The “Meeting as Decision Factory” Assumption

Signal: Decisions only happen in meetings, so decisions wait for meetings.

Fix: Move decisions to an async decision memo and reserve meetings for the hard edges.

4) The “Unclear Owner” Default

Signal: Many people are responsible, so no one is accountable.

Fix: Name one owner per outcome. If multiple owners exist, split the outcome.

5) The “Priority Pile-Up” Problem

Signal: Everything is important, so nothing finishes cleanly.

Fix: Force tradeoffs by limiting active priorities. Make “not now” explicit.

6) The “Decision Reopened” Pattern

Signal: Decisions get revisited because the rationale was never captured.

Fix: Record the why, the constraints, and the revisit criteria at the moment of decision.

7) The “Follow-Through Fog”

Signal: Decisions get made, but execution is inconsistent.

Fix: Tie every decision to a next action, a due date, and a check-in moment.

A Coaching Lens to Apply This Week

Ask this at the end of every decision: “What will be different by next Friday that proves we actually decided?” If the answer is fuzzy, you have not decided yet. You have discussed.

Decision Velocity Snapshot

Use this as a quick self-check. Score each item 0, 1, or 2.

0 = rarely true. 1 = sometimes true. 2 = consistently true.

1. We know who the decider is before discussion starts.
2. Decisions include a written rationale and constraints.
3. Meetings do not create more ambiguity than they resolve.
4. Owners are singular, and outcomes are measurable.
5. Active priorities are capped and defended.
6. Reopens happen only when revisit criteria are met.
7. Decisions convert into tracked next actions within 24 hours.

Score interpretation:

• 0–6: Decision drag is likely costing you weekly.
• 7–10: Your system works sometimes. It breaks under stress.
• 11–14: You have a strong baseline. Now optimize.