In today’s fast-moving world, leaders are expected to make quick, high-stakes decisions, often with more data and input than they can process. While technology and data-driven insights are invaluable, they can also make decision-making feel overwhelming, especially with the constant pressure to act fast.
To navigate these challenges, many leaders are turning to mindful decision-making — an approach that prioritises clarity, focus and balance.
If you’re seeking a way to make better decisions without being overwhelmed by the pace, here’s a practical guide to mindful decision-making that can help you stay grounded and intentional.
1. Clarify Your Core Values First
Why it matters: Before diving into decision-making, being clear on your values can act as a compass. Core values guide you to make choices aligned with your mission and purpose, preventing distractions from influencing decisions that don’t serve your long-term goals.
Example: Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, consistently grounds his decisions in Salesforce’s core values of trust, customer success, innovation and equality. Even when faced with challenging decisions, he turns to these values for clarity, especially when advocating for social issues or leading through rapid changes in technology.
How to do it: Spend a few moments identifying your core values. Is your decision about growth, integrity, innovation or teamwork? When your values are clear, your choices will feel more aligned and intentional.
Write down these values and keep them somewhere visible. Before each significant decision, quickly glance at your list to ground yourself in what truly matters.
Practical Tip: When faced with a challenging decision, ask yourself, “How does this align with my top three values?” This check-in reduces decision fatigue and keeps you on track.
2. Use a ‘Pause and Reflect’ Technique Before Finalising a Decision
Why it matters: In the rush to make timely decisions, it’s easy to feel pressured to respond quickly, sometimes missing critical insights. A brief pause helps you gain a clearer perspective, allowing you to avoid impulsive choices and consider the decision’s broader implications.
Example: Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global, emphasises the importance of pausing to reflect before making key decisions. After experiencing burnout early in her career, she learned the value of slowing down and incorporating mindfulness into her decision-making. Today, she encourages leaders to take a moment to breathe deeply before making major choices, ensuring that responses are thoughtful rather than reactive.
How to do it: Take a quick 5-minute pause before finalising any major decision. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and focus on your breath to calm your mind.
Reflect on the decision objectively: What are the potential impacts? Have you considered alternative perspectives? Are you making this choice out of urgency or genuine conviction?
Practical Tip: Build a “pause and reflect” routine into your day by setting reminders before big meetings or decisions. This simple habit can prevent rushed decisions and promote a thoughtful approach.
3. Focus on the ‘Why’ Behind the Decision
Why it matters: Often, we jump straight to “how” and “what” in decision-making, but understanding “why” can clarify the purpose and long-term impact. This mindful approach helps you ensure that your choices aren’t just reactive but also purposeful and aligned with your broader goals.
Example: Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, is known for his reflective approach, frequently questioning the “why” behind each decision to ensure alignment with his organisation’s purpose. Dalio’s practice of documenting his reasoning and insights has helped him create a culture that emphasises intentional, values-driven choices.
How to do it: Before deciding, ask yourself: “Why is this decision necessary? What are the main goals?” By exploring the why, you clarify the purpose and align your choice with long-term priorities.
For complex decisions, consider writing down your answers to these questions to create a mental roadmap.
Practical Tip: If you’re feeling uncertain, try discussing your “why” with a trusted colleague or mentor. Speaking it out loud often brings clarity and confidence in your choice.
4. Balance Data with Intuition
Why it matters: Data is invaluable, but it can’t capture everything—especially human factors like culture, morale and creativity. Mindful decision-making involves balancing hard data with intuition, allowing for a more holistic approach to complex choices.
Example: Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, transformed the company culture by balancing data-driven strategies with empathy and intuition. He’s known for his “empathy as a key component of innovation” philosophy, which ensures that decisions are data-informed but always consider the human impact.
How to do it: Start by gathering relevant data and analysing it thoroughly. But before jumping to a conclusion, check in with your intuition. How does this decision feel? Is there something your gut is telling you that data alone doesn’t reveal?
Use intuition as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for data. Together, they provide a fuller picture.
Practical Tip: When balancing data and intuition, keep a list of questions that encourage a deeper look, like “What factors might I be overlooking?” or “How will this impact team morale?”
5. Embrace Small Steps and Adjustments
Why it matters: Not every decision needs to be big or final. Taking small, incremental steps allows you to learn and adjust as you go, reducing the pressure and making mindful decision-making easier to practice.
Example: Jeff Weiner, former CEO of LinkedIn, practiced mindful decision-making by setting aside regular “buffer time” to think strategically without distractions. By testing ideas in smaller settings before scaling them, he ensured that each step aligned with the company’s mission and responded to real-time feedback from his team.
How to do it: Instead of committing fully to one path, consider implementing small changes first. For example, rather than rolling out a new strategy company-wide, test it within a smaller team or department.
Reflect on each step’s results before deciding on the next. This iterative approach encourages learning and reduces the risk of costly errors.
Practical Tip: Schedule brief, regular check-ins to assess progress and adapt as needed. This way, decisions remain dynamic and responsive to changing circumstances.
Mindful decision-making is about balancing speed with purpose, data with intuition, and immediate needs with long-term vision. By clarifying your values, pausing for reflection, focusing on the why, balancing data with intuition and taking small steps, you can navigate today’s complex leadership landscape with confidence.
As leaders, the decisions we make shape our teams, our organisations and our own paths. Taking a mindful approach not only enhances the quality of our choices but also brings a sense of calm and focus to the process. Try integrating one or two of these practices into your next decision-making process and experience the difference for yourself.
Curious about other ways mindfulness can enhance leadership? Follow along — I’ll be sharing more insights on mindful leadership in upcoming articles.
Pinkamol Ruckpao, a Senior Consultant at BTS Thailand, is a passionate advocate of storytelling and the transformative power of design thinking. With a dynamic background across diverse industries from communication and customer service to digital marketing and leadership development, she brings a unique blend of expertise that empowers people and organisations to reach new heights. Pinkamol’s work is all about helping leaders unlock untapped potential, inspiring meaningful growth and innovation in any environment. Executives and leaders interested in exploring the powerful connection between mindfulness and leadership can reach out to her at pinkamol.ruckpao@bts.com or connect with her on LinkedIn to start a conversation about driving impact.
Pinkamol Ruckpao, Senior Consultant at BTS Thailand
