I see so many women waiting until they feel ready or 100% sure about a decision before they:

  • Speak up
  • Make a call
  • Push back
  • Go for the role

And while you think you’re being thorough and thoughtful, that’s not what you’re communicating most of the time.

Because at the VP level, readiness and perfection are not what’s being evaluated. Decision-making is.

What feels like “being thoughtful” often reads as a lack of conviction at senior levels.

For my perfectionists out there, this may have stung! But that’s kind of the point.

The further up you go in leadership, the more you are expected to make decisions with incomplete data. And if you’re looking to get to the next level, now is the time to start building that muscle!

So in today’s newsletter, that’s exactly what we’re going to cover: the cost of indecision and the ways you may be communicating a lack of conviction without even realizing it.

Let’s dive in…

Why is indecision such a bad thing??

I work with a lot of women who are educated, technical and highly knowledgeable. My biotech and tech ladies, I’m thinking of you!

And I see a pattern among many of them: They want perfect data before making a call. And I get it. In a perfect world, we would have this. Does this sound familiar?

Here’s what it may look like on a day-to-day basis:

  • Waiting for alignment before speaking
  • Over-validating decisions
  • Asking instead of recommending
  • Deferring instead of owning

Here’s the problem:

By dragging your heels, you’re unintentionally communicating that you are indecisive as a leader. And leadership will look at that as a signal that you’re not quite ready for the next level.

So what can you do instead?

Adopt a strategic bias for action

I always share this figure with the women in my group program:​

This comes from a paper I read that showed the top entrepreneurs have a +40% focus on taking action (and conversely, -24% focus on details and -42% focus on planning).

Now, you’re not an entrepreneur, so I don’t recommend you start recklessly taking action without the right judgment, but chances are, you need to be taking more action than you are today.

Let’s compare what this looks like:

Entrepreneurs often go: Act → Adjust → Act → Adjust

This is ideal when you’re building something and need to act fast and analyze later, but it’s too reactive and reckless for the corporate world.

That’s why top executives compress this sequence: Frame → Decide → Act → Adjust

They are adding a judgment layer before taking action. But note that they are still focused on making decisions and acting on them…

While most Directors are stuck in: Analyze → Analyze → Analyze → (maybe act)

As you can see, executives sit in the middle. They don’t overanalyze, but they also don’t act blindly. They use judgment to shortcut the need for excessive planning.

(By the way, “judgment” is one of the key elements we discuss in the Exec Skills part of my program!)

What decision have you been waiting on?

Here’s what most of you don’t realize: The women who get promoted aren’t always the smartest in the room.

But they are often the clearest and most decisive.

They don’t wait to feel certain. They decide – and then refine.

So many of you are hyper-focused on perfection, and are terrified of making a decision and it being the wrong one. That’s where the refining comes in. You’re allowed to change your mind and adjust after the fact!

And as you move up, building this muscle becomes even more important.

If I relate this to your career, it’s the exact same principle. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s likely not about capability. It’s often about how you’re showing up in moments that require you to take ownership.

And that’s exactly what I teach inside my proven program Own Your Seat at the Table.

Many of you were at the recent masterclass, or you’ve come to one in the past. If you’ve thought about joining me, what’s gotten in your way? What information are you waiting for?

Because here’s the part most people miss:

If you hesitate in your own career decisions, you’re likely hesitating in your leadership decisions too.

If you’ve been thinking about the Own Your Seat at the Table program and can’t decide whether to take the plunge, this is your sign.

Those who take action are the ones who get rewarded.

And the women who work with me learn to take confident, decisive action to get to that next level and thrive there. Want that to be you?

SIGN UP HERE

Until next time friends… ✌️💜

Katy