Kill Aggressive Indecision

I’ve come back to this idea repeatedly in my work because the mindset behind innovation usually changes before the results do. What people notice, question, challenge, and act on determines how ready they are for what comes next.

“Aggressive indecision” is what happens when an organization knows it must move, yet repeatedly finds reasons not to.

I’ve used this phrase for decades because it captures a uniquely destructive behaviour. Organizations see the trend. They discuss the trend. They hold workshops about the trend. Then they postpone the decision.

The problem is that indecision is not neutral. In a fast market, delay is a decision in favour of the status quo. During periods of disruption, this becomes especially dangerous because leaders often convince themselves that uncertainty will soon disappear. It rarely does. The future does not wait for your confidence to catch up.

The antidote is not reckless action. It is building a culture that can make reasonable decisions with incomplete information and revise them quickly when new evidence appears.

So what does that mean in practice? It means challenging the assumption, habit, or hesitation that is keeping you anchored to the present. Here are three places to start.