Stop Wasting Time Making Decisions – Your Shot of Fearless Culture #375

Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.

Apr 30, 2025

“Let’s schedule another meeting to finalize this.”

We’ve all heard it. We’ve all rolled our eyes.

When teams fail to arrive at an agreement, the default solution is usually another meeting.

But what if that’s the wrong fix? What if better decisions require fewer meetings, not more?

Asynchronous decision-making is more than a productivity hack. It’s a cultural shift. It rewards reflection over rush, clarity over biases, and commitment over consensus.

Check out the five-step method I use with my clients.

Explore this week’s newsletter:

My latest article → How to Make Better Decisions Asynchronously
I need your input for my new book :)
Practical tools to make better decisions

Stay fearless, my friend.

Gustavo

In Case You Missed It

→ How to Make Better Decisions as a Team

A Personal Invitation 🌟

I’m usually on the giving side – sharing tools, insights, and frameworks to help you lead culture change.

This time, I’m asking you for a favor.

I’m deep into writing my next book, Forward Talk, and your voice matters.

We spend most of our workdays in conversations — giving feedback, sharing ideas, resolving conflict, or making decisions.

But avoided or poorly managed conversations can get teams stuck – or even move them backward.

That’s what my book is about: facilitating courageous conversations that move us forward.

I’m now in the second phase of research, and I’d love to hear your perspective.

Your input will help make Forward Talk more practical, grounded, and real.

👉 Take the Survey

Feel free to pass it along – and thanks for sharing my journey.

Ask Your Team This

When was the last time we made a fast decision that turned out to be a bad one? What went wrong?

⚠️ Give It a Try

Decide How You’ll Decide

Most teams start debating options before agreeing on how the decision will be made. That’s how they end in decision limbo.

This week, try this exercise before any important decision:

Choose a real decision your team is about to make
Map out roles using McKinsey’s DARE model:
- Decider – Who makes the final call? (Ideally, one person.)
- Advisors – Who provides insight or context? (
- Recommenders – Who explores options or frames trade-offs? (Subject matter experts of those affected by the decision)
- Execution team – Who needs to know and act on the decision?
Make the roles explicit — share with everyone before the discussion starts.

Bonus points if you run the whole process asynchronously – see my article above for more details.

🍦 Feed Your Curiosity

Effective decision-making in the age of urgency

A decision-making journal template to learn from and improve your decisions

How async practices lead to better decisions

🔎 Last week to save $300

Join the Build a Fearless Culture program.

Master all the building blocks of culture – from psychological safety and purpose to feedback and decision-making.

Over eight sessions, you’ll acquire new tools and methods to improve your workplace culture – from feedback and meetings to psychological safety and decision-making.

The next cohort starts in June 2025.

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