1. Why this subject deserves our full attention
A team leaves a meeting. On the minutes, a line about the decision taken.
But weeks later… nothing has moved. Everyone thinks it’s “the other guy’s fault”.
Decision without action? This scenario is common – and costly.
When decisions don’t lead to action, it’s not just a problem of organization. It’s the sign of a deeper dysfunction: the decision point is vague, implicit, sometimes fantasized. It is neither named nor assumed.
And over time, this ambiguity poisons the collective dynamic.
Non-decision is one of the most insidious markers of toxic leadership:
- It creates confusion.
- It fosters mistrust.
- It pushes teams to withdraw or justify themselves.
- It dilutes responsibilities and feeds invisible tensions.
In my coaching work, this is a symptom I spot very quickly.
When a management team no longer knows when – or how – to make decisions, it enters a zone of strategic and relational vagueness.
This article is based on a simple observation: we don’t put enough emphasis on the decision point, the moment that structures the rest of the actions.
When it’s botched or even missed, weeks, sometimes months of collective momentum are wiped out.
2. What’s really at stake at this key moment
A decision point is a change of energy. You sense that the discussion is coming to an end, and that the time for action has come. This shift should be clear, almost palpable. Too often, it’s not. And that’s where teams go astray.
The decision, which in truth was not a decision at all
I’m thinking of a management team that had been working for months on a new product strategy.
At the end of the meeting, the Boss concludes:
“We’re aligned with version B, so we’re going for it.”
No one objects. A few nods. We move on to another subject. New discussion.
Everyone leaves the room. The minutes are distributed.
A month later, nothing has changed.
– Operations are waiting for a brief.
– Marketing is still fine-tuning other options.
– The salesman didn’t include anything in his speech.
When, during team coaching, I ask the marketing team about their obvious frustration, the answer comes back:
“We’ve been working on this presentation for weeks and we don’t have a decision.”
This is a frequent occurrence:
- The boss is convinced she’s made her point
- The manager thinks she’s procrastinating. We interpret, wait for a further sign, postpone.
- And in the end, the Boss’s confidence erodes: “Why aren’t they moving forward?” “Why does he come back on it three days later?” “Who’s really calling the shots here?”
The real problem
It’s not about the content of the decision. It has to do with the absence of a clear moment, lived together, where everyone understands :
- What has been decided
- Who wears what and for what they are liable
- And when the action starts
In a complex environment, not everything can be foreseen* (see my article on Cynefine). But we need to set benchmarks and move forward step by step. Without movement, the system gets bogged down.
3. How to make the decision point explicit
A good decision is not one that wins the polite approval of a committee.
It’s the one that will be executed. And for that, it’s ideally the doers – those who will act – who should drive the process.
Voting before discussion
We start by collecting their ideas.
Then everyone takes a moment to reflect and vote.
This simple gesture blocks the sheep effect: it captures sincere positions, before collective discussion distorts or intimidates.
Making extremes talk
Once the vote has been cast, it’s important not to give the floor to the most enthusiastic.
We start with those who doubt, who oppose, who see differently.
These minority voices provide useful objections, conditions for success and blind spots.
If they are not heard, they become passive resistance.
Check the actual probability of execution
At this stage, one crucial question remains: will this decision really be applied?
David Marquet suggests using Probability Cards: a deck of cards displaying 1, 5, 20, 50, 80, 95 and 99.
Rather than asking “Do you agree?”, a binary and sterile question, we ask:
“How likely is it that this decision will be carried out?”
Each person chooses a card.
If the average is low, there’s no point in going any further.
We need to reopen the discussion, remove the obstacles and clarify the unclear areas.
How to deal with minority voices
Marquet also warns against a common mistake: asking a direct opponent “What would it take for you to say yes?”
This question puts the person in the hot seat, as if blocking the group’s momentum.
Under pressure, she may rally out of conformity, not conviction.
A trick I find brilliant in my practice: ask the group to reformulate the position of someone who strongly disagrees.
This exercise protects the minority voice, strengthens listening and opens up the collective perspective by highlighting our inevitable biases…
And in small groups, an anonymous vote (post-it notes, face-down cards) can also reduce the fear of judgment and free up more honest speech.
The key
A clear decision point is built through a process that combines three simple gestures:
- Voting before discussion.
- Listen to the extremes first.
- Measure the probability of execution.
We don’t try to convince. We’re looking for a decision that will really be supported, assumed and implemented by the team.
We’re a long way from “soft” consensus!
4. When the decision becomes a real tipping point
Decisions are there to create rhythm, give direction and engage the collective energy.
When the decision point is clear, the team knows what to do, when to start and why it matters. When it’s unclear, meetings pile up, misunderstandings proliferate and trust crumbles.
In complex environments, there is no such thing as a perfect decision.
But there are living decisions: robust enough to guide action, and flexible enough to adapt.
A mature leader doesn’t try to convince at all costs.
He or she creates the conditions for a collective tipping point, when it is felt that the discussion is over and action can begin.
It’s that moment – not too early, not too late – that releases the momentum.
Moving from discussion to action
If your team spends too much time debating, procrastinating or waiting for a “real go”, it may be a sign that you need to restore clarity to your decision points.
This is precisely what I do in my team coaching:
- Identify blurred areas.
- Naming the unspoken.
- Set clear collective benchmarks.
A decision is not a word. It’s a shared movement.
Contact me for an initial chat and let’s see how you can turn your meetings into decisions that really count 😊
