Avoiding Decision Fatigue

As Duarte grew, I’d hear feedback that decisions were made too slowly, which confused me. In reality, we didn’t have a system to recognize when the team was asking for a decision. We thought they were just informing us, so decisions would languish. We weren’t ignoring them, failing to act, or even making incorrect decisions... We just didn’t realize a decision needed to be made in the first place. It dawned on the exec team that the lack of clarity during the conversation is what slows teams down. Leaders and teams can share the same language for decision-making. Much of it is about shaping recommendations that actually lead to the right type of action and making the urgency clear. Here’s the shift that changed everything… We started mapping every decision against two factors: urgency and risk. Low risk, low urgency: Decide without me. Your team runs with it. Low risk, high urgency: Inform on progress. They update you, but keep driving. High risk, low urgency: Propose for approval. They bring a recommendation, and you decide together. High risk, high urgency: Escalate immediately. You're in it together, right now. Once my team understood which quadrant a decision lived in, they knew exactly how to approach me. And I knew exactly what my role was. The framework gave us a shared language. People can’t act on ideas if they don’t understand how decisions are made. Leaders should define how recommendations move from idea to approval to action. That transparency keeps progress from stalling. Remember: One of the biggest threats to your company isn't a lack of good ideas. It's a lack of clarity. #Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership #OrganizationalCulture #DecisionMaking

I've got bad news you're not going to want to hear: Adding more people won't solve your problem. Chances are, it'll make things worse. Most teams fall into this pattern: ❌ Problem → ❌ Add People → ❌ More Complexity → ❌ Bigger Problems → ❌ Add Even More People In their effort to add capacity, They drown themselves in complexity. They've fallen into a trap: The 'More People' Paradox. Capacity grows linearly.  Complexity grows exponentially. High-performing teams know this.  They choose a different path: ❌ Problem → ✅ Diagnose → ✅ Delete, Simplify, or Automate → ✅ Refocus & Execute → ✅ Scale They know pruning supports healthy growth. They fix the model to scale.  They don't hope scale fixes the model. Ask these 3 questions before you hire: 1️⃣ What could we stop doing? • Nice-to-have projects • Low-impact meetings • Redundant reports 2️⃣ What are we overcomplicating? • Communication channels • Project workflows • Decision making 3️⃣ What are we avoiding? • Technology improvements • Difficult conversations • Priority decisions BONUS: What could AI handle? • Document processing • Standard responses • Data aggregation • Routine analysis ✅ Remember: Our optimal path to greater success... Doing half as much, twice as well. If this post resonated with you... 🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more ♻️ Share to help others go big by thinking small What complexity are you ready to eliminate?

New data: Customers don't care about your "AI-powered" feature. This comes from a survey of 767 software users by Kristen Berman and the team at Irrational Labs. You'll want to dive into the full results in today's Growth Unhinged: https://lnkd.in/e7eCUv5b What the study found: 1. Rather than enhancing perceptions, the term “generative AI” significantly lowered expectations of a product’s potential impact. This might reflect skepticism from tools that overpromise and under-deliver, such as unreliable chatbots or lackluster generative content. 2. Labeling a product as AI-driven did little to justify a higher price. Customers were unwilling to pay more unless the tool demonstrated clear, compelling benefits. (Superhuman was the only exception.) 3. The impact on trust was largely neutral. For most brands, explicitly mentioning AI didn’t increase customer confidence in the tool’s reliability. What to do instead: - Lead with benefits, not AI-jargon. Canva says its "Magic Design" feature helps users effortlessly make beautiful designs -- not that it's a tool for "AI-powered productivity". - Make claims tangible. GitHub Copilot highlights that "developers are coding up to 55% faster." - Take a page from behavioral science with the Endowment Effect (think: reverse trial of AI features). - When you must use “AI,” be thoughtful. Pair it with a clear use case or branding that connects to user needs. Can't wait to hear what y'all think about this data. #ai #messaging #startup

If you feel like you’re sprinting through the curriculum you’re not alone. 🏃♂️ But here’s the catch: Cognitive science says fast teaching doesn’t equal deep learning. Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988) reminds us that the brain’s working memory is limited. When we overload it, learning stalls no matter how great the content is. This isn’t just about students. It’s about teacher sustainability too. So many of us are under pressure to “cover everything.” But here’s the truth: Trying to do too much leads to shallow learning and teacher burnout. What works better? Teaching with the brain in mind: • Chunking content into manageable parts (Miller, 1956; 7±2 rule) • Using worked examples to reduce extraneous load (Sweller, 2006) • Providing pause time so students can consolidate and process • Eliminating distractions—less “busywork,” more focus • Building schemas through repetition, connection, and reflection • Focusing on one learning intention at a time As Willingham (2009) puts it: “Memory is the residue of thought.” We must give students time to think deeply not rush to the next thing. Slow learning is strong learning. Let’s ditch the overload and create space for what really matters: Clarity. Connection. Purpose. And yes - our own wellbeing too. #CognitiveLoadTheory #EvidenceBasedTeaching #TeacherWellbeing #DeepLearning #PrimaryTeaching #CurriculumDesign #BrainBasedLearning #EducationResearch #NeuroaffirmingPractice #LessIsMore

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝟏𝟎𝟏! 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 ��𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 #𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬! In #aviation, an #overworked pilot is labelled a #safety_hazard. And rightly so! However, in #healthcare, an overworked doctor or nurse is #applauded as #dedicated. Same human brain. Same cognitive fatigue. Same risk of errors - in judgement, critical decisions, and reaction time! The difference is perception & not physiology. Just because adverse outcomes in healthcare are quieter, slower, and less headline-grabbing than an air crash does not mean long work hours are safe. Fatigue impairs judgment, reaction time, empathy, and decision-making — whether you’re flying a plane or managing a septic patient at 3 AM. Calling exhaustion “commitment” doesn’t make patients safer. It only normalizes a preventable risk. It’s time we #STOP romanticizing #burnout and start treating fatigue in healthcare for what it truly is: a #patient_safety_risk for sure! 🛑 #PatientSafety #HealthcareBurnout #WorkHourReform #FatigueIsAFailure #DoctorsOfLinkedIn #HealthcareSystems

6 words of the best advice for salespeople who lose deals in the final hour ⬇️ Don't "Await" the Verdict. Influence It. A few years ago I noticed a strange pattern: Whenever I was waiting on a ‘verdict’ from a buyer, I lost. “We have a budget meeting on Tuesday where my boss is going to make a decision. I’ll let you know what we decide.” Some get excited to hear things like that. I dread it. Deals like that sound good. But they almost always go south. This isn't just true when closing deals. I noticed the same thing when raising funding. I noticed it again when recruiting. I usually lost when candidates said things like this: “Thanks Chris. I’m making my final decision on where to work next by Friday. Can I call you then and let you know what I decide?” Trust me when I say this: If you’re passively awaiting a verdict, bad sign. You’re going to lose whenever this is the dynamic: “Final decision meeting is on Monday. I’ll let you know then.” Now. You might be thinking: “Damn Chris, you’re right! I lost 8 out of 10 deals where I was ‘awaiting a verdict!’” If that’s you, your next thought is probably: “So what do I do so I don’t lose?” Follow this rule: Don’t await the verdict. Influence it. Whenever I'm in a pipeline review with my AE team, any time I hear a situation where they’re awaiting a verdict, I ask this: “How can we move from awaiting to influencing the verdict?” Two examples: Example 1: Buyer: “I’ve got a final budget meeting with my CFO Friday. I should have an answer then.” Instead of waiting until Friday where your weekend will promptly be ruined, say this: “As you can imagine, I’ve helped a few dozen others sell this internally to their CFO. Mind if we find 30 min before the meeting to put a 1-page business case together? I can share some angles that worked in the past.” Perfect. Now you’re not awaiting your doom. You’re taking the bull by the horns. Example 2: “I’m reviewing all of my notes between vendors and I’ll make my final decision Tuesday.” This one’s harder. You had a champion in your corner in the first example. But this? You’re dealing with a coy buyer. Say this: “I can understand that, and I have to ask: If you learned nothing new between now and Tuesday, what would you decide and why?” A tad aggressive? Maybe. But now you’re getting something you can work with. Instead of saying “Ok… Talk Tuesday…!” you instead have a chance to influence their thinking. See the difference? If you’re awaiting a verdict, you are an ‘effect.' If you’re influencing a verdict, you are a 'cause.' You’re making things happen instead of letting things happen. Big difference. As I reflect on the last decade selling SaaS, recruiting, and raising capital, I’ve found this to be true: You will lose 8/10 deals where you’re awaiting a verdict.

As kids, my brother and I always noticed our father wore either a blue or white shirt with cream pants to work, despite having more colors in his closet. Now, at 32, I finally understand why. It wasn’t about lacking options, it was about simplifying decisions. Just like Zuckerberg’s “grey t-shirt” principle, removing small, repetitive choices frees up mental energy for what truly matters. Here’s why this approach works so well for business owners: 1. Focus on What Counts: You can channel your energy into the major decisions that drive your business forward by cutting out trivial choices. 2. Consistency is Key: Just like having a daily “uniform,” applying consistency to your business processes creates efficiency and reliability. 3. Avoid Decision Fatigue: Making decisions all day wears down your willpower. Simplifying your routine helps save mental energy for when it matters most. How to Apply This Principle to Your Business: - Identify Your “Business Uniform”: Pinpoint the core tasks, services, or offerings that define your business success. - Create Systems and Routines: Streamline daily operations by building routines and automating repetitive tasks. - Schedule Time for Big-Picture Thinking: Set aside time each day or week for strategic planning and decision-making. - Cut What Doesn’t Serve Your Main Goals: Be ruthless in eliminating distractions or activities that don’t directly contribute to your business growth. Remember, it’s not about being boring—it’s about being brilliant where it counts. So, what’s your “grey t-shirt” for business success? #decisionmaking #entrepreneurship

ADHD and Overwhelm: What’s Really Going On in the Brain For many people with ADHD, overwhelm isn’t just “too much going on.” It’s the brain’s stress circuits becoming overloaded — and the executive network struggling to keep control. When the prefrontal cortex (responsible for planning, prioritising and working memory) is flooded by stress hormones, it goes offline. At the same time, the amygdala and salience network (which scan for threat and urgency) go into overdrive. That’s why even small decisions can feel huge — and why you may freeze, fawn, or shut down instead of taking action. ADHD brains are wired for intensity and curiosity but also for quick stress activation. They seek stimulation (dopamine), yet the same sensitivity can make them more prone to emotional flooding. Regulation before action is key. Try these:    •   Ground your body first — slow breathing, cold water, gentle movement.    •   Externalise what’s in your head — write it, speak it, or visualise it.    •   Use “micro-plans”: one small, concrete next step instead of the whole task.    •   Schedule decompression time before transitions or high-demand situations. When the brain feels safe and regulated, the executive functions return online — focus, problem-solving, and creativity flow again. Overwhelm isn’t weakness. It’s a signal from a sensitive, high-energy brain asking for balance. How do you help your ADHD brain find calm when everything feels “too much”? #ADHD #Neurodiversity #Wellbeing #EmotionalRegulation #BrainScience #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDCoaching

If you're 45+ and feeling genuinely stuck in your career progression, the problem likely isn't that you need more certifications or technical skills - it's that you're still operating on beliefs about how careers work that were accurate in 2005 but are actively sabotaging you now. The professionals experiencing genuine career second winds at this stage aren't necessarily the ones with the most impressive experience. They're the ones brave enough to systematically question everything they thought they knew about professional success. Stop assuming hard work automatically gets rewarded. Organizations care about demonstrable impact and strategic visibility, not hours invested. Your grinding effort is completely invisible if decision-makers never see it. Delete the loyalty assumption. The era of twenty-year careers at single companies is over. Your primary loyalty should be to your own professional growth trajectory, not to their org chart or empty promises about "taking care of people." Quit waiting patiently for your turn at promotion. There's no orderly queue anymore. The people actually advancing are proactively creating their own opportunities and directly asking for what they want. Your accumulated experience doesn't automatically translate to authority if you can't adapt to how work genuinely gets done today. Seniority alone doesn't create relevance. Face-to-face interaction isn't inherently superior anymore. Remote relationship building and digital influence are legitimate professional skills, not second-rate alternatives. The exact beliefs and strategies that successfully got you to this career stage won't take you further. Unlearn them now before they permanently trap you. Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights: https://vist.ly/4guqb #careerafter45 #midcareer #careerstrategy #over45career #careeradvice #professionaldevelopment #careergrowth #midlifecareer #careeradvancement #careermindset

Good decisions die in messy docs. If you want clarity and speed, compress it. One page. Five sections. No fluff. 1. Context – Why we’re here and what’s at stake. 2. Options – The real alternatives we considered. 3. Risk – Trade-offs, uncertainties, and what could break. 4. Choice – The decision, and the “why” behind it. 5. Follow-Ups – Who owns what, and by when. This format does 3 things well: Forces clear thinking. Speeds alignment. Leaves a record for future you. If your team debates endlessly or revisits decisions over and over, try the one-page memo for your next meeting. You’ll feel the difference.