Do you have those times when you just can’t remember something important, no matter how hard you try. 

It may be a word, a phrase, a name or the details of a work process. 

I don’t know about you, but to me it feels as though there are way too many information ‘files’ stored in my brain and not only is the storage space becoming scarce but the ability to access the right file at the right time is getting harder.

There are many reasons for this, but one in particular is the huge number of decisions we have to make each day. This is true in our personal lives, as well as in our professional lives. 

As the workplace ecosystem rapidly evolves, the responsibility falls on leaders to make good decisions swiftly. When budgets for professional development programmes and company-wide coaching are shrinking, how can you empower your people (and yourself) to make better decisions with fewer resources?

Every leader knows that the goalposts are constantly shifting. 

What might be considered a good decision today could quickly become redundant tomorrow. In fact, 85% of business leaders have experienced decision distress – regretting, feeling guilty about, or questioning decisions they made in the past year. 

Paradoxically, the increasing availability of data has only made decision-making more challenging. We also experience this in our personal lives with various forms of communication methods like WhatsApp chat groups seemingly growing exponentially.

Many leaders I work with feel overwhelmed. They face mounting pressure to make decisions and set strategies, but struggle to prioritise what truly matters. Often, their teams are busy, yet they feel as though they’re stuck in place, not making real progress.

One entrepreneur put it this way: “As the founder of a fast-growing business, I was constantly reactive and working in the business, not on the business.”

Sound familiar?

The good news is that there’s a straightforward framework to bring clarity to decision-making. This framework helps prioritise what’s important and can be applied to any conversation, meeting, policy, or project by anyone within the organisation.  

Believe it or not, this framework emerged from a conversation with my middle son when he was 10 years old, while sipping on a smoothie.

A Shortcut to decision making 

Here are three essential questions to ask of every business process and interaction:

1. Keep

First, ask: What should we keep?

Take a close look at your organisation and ask, what’s working well? It could be a process that improves efficiency, a particular type of meeting that adds value, or a project that’s thriving. Involve your team – ask them to share what they believe is working, what they’re proud of, and what feels strong.

Be open-minded. Small changes can have a big impact. For instance, one leader I spoke with transformed their business by introducing a weekly chat with regional managers. This wasn’t about reporting KPIs, but rather checking in on their well-being. It created strong relationships, opened lines of communication, and led to valuable insights that may not have been shared otherwise.

This is your chance to identify what is working and do more of it. Roll out successful practices across other teams and projects or explore them further.

2. Delete

Next, what can you delete?

Every organisation has processes or projects that no longer serve a purpose but remain ingrained in the business. Now’s the time to clear them out.

Get your team involved again. Ask them what they wish they could stop doing. Perhaps there’s a reporting system that’s cumbersome or a recurring meeting that doesn’t add value. Clearing out what’s unnecessary will allow people to use their time more effectively.

As a leader, this might require thick skin, but it’s crucial to be objective. You may find that some of your best employees are on the brink of burnout due to tasks or expectations that feel impossible to meet. Now is the time to address these issues and refocus on what’s important.

3. Create

Once you’ve identified what to keep and what to delete, it’s time to create. What are your priorities, and where should energy be focused?

This will depend on your specific objectives, but for most leaders the key concerns are:

• Consistent returns to shareholders and investors
• Managing business and brand risk
• Building high-performing teams

While it’s important to think long term, also ask, what can you create to support short-term and medium-term priorities as well? 

For instance, you might want to build a culture where every team member sees themselves as a ‘Culture Champion’, accountable for results and company culture. Alternatively, you could focus on creating stronger ownership across the business, ensuring everyone aligns with the most important goals.

Perhaps you’ll create a new way of engaging your team to promote strong internal communication. For example, Microsoft holds an annual OneWeek event where employees collaborate, share ideas, and align with company goals. Could you implement something similar to keep your employees informed, motivated, and connected?

Focus your energy on initiatives that will bring the greatest returns for your business and your people.  

Consistently, the theme in businesses I work with is that people want to be heard and their contribution acknowledged, so how can you incorporate this?

Keep It Simple

To sum up, follow these three steps:

• Ask: What should we keep, delete, and create?
• Analyse: Gather and reflect on the information.
• Act: Implement what you’ve uncovered and put it into practice.

It sounds simple, and that’s the point. This framework is versatile and can be applied to any context – whether it’s a meeting format, a project, or even a new revenue stream.

Embedding this type of framework helps build cultural change throughout your organisation and empowers your people to re-evaluate their day-to-day business routines. Some employees may be more naturally adept at this than others, so leverage and optimise these individual strengths.

While partnering with external experts for professional development and change management may be desirable, budget constraints can make that difficult. In the meantime, this framework is both free and invaluable.

If you’re looking for ways to make quicker, better decisions while easing the pressure on your team and yourself – or you’re ready to take the next step – let’s have a conversation.