Take the leadership journey
Step out boldly in leadership, even before you feel "ready"
Stepping into leadership can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re faced with decisions and don’t have all the facts.
The reality?
That’s going to happen often.
You won’t always have the full picture, but waiting for perfect information will only slow you down.
As a new leader, here’s what you need to know:
Perfection isn’t the goal: You’ll rarely have all the answers. Get comfortable with uncertainty.
Your experiences are valuable: Even if you’re new, your past experiences and insights are tools—use them.
Trust your instincts: Intuition can be powerful. Trust it when facts are limited.
Move forward confidently: Don’t let indecision stall progress. Leadership means acting decisively.
Mistakes will happen—learn from them: No decision is final. Treat every choice as a chance to improve.
If you’re just starting out as a leader, how do you handle decisions when you don’t have all the information?
You can grow through smart risk-taking, testing, and trying new things. There are risks, but the benefits far outweigh those risks.
Take the leadership journey. You’ll be so grateful that you did!
I just had a conversation about this with a new employee last Friday. The advice I gave them:
1. Accept that you'll rarely have 100% of the data. I'm a big believer in Jeff Bezos’ rule of thumb that if you’ve got 70%, you’ve got enough to move forward. The key is to avoid getting stuck in analysis paralysis by waiting for every detail to surface.
2. Consider what type of decision you're facing: Is it a Type 1 decision (high impact, irreversible) or a Type 2 decision (low impact, reversible)? For Type 2 decisions, which are most common, act quickly. You can always adjust if needed. Type 1 decisions are much rarer, especially for new leaders.
In the end, combine your instincts with the available data, make a choice, and embrace the outcome as a learning experience. It's unlikely you'll mess something up so badly it can't be fixed. The goal is progress, not perfection!