HBR IdeaCast

Why Leaders Should Rethink Their Decision-Making Process

Feb 21, 2023

Carol Kauffman, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Institute of Coaching, shares her insights on leadership decision-making. She challenges the notion that leaders should rely on instinct and past experiences, especially during crises. Kauffman introduces the 'MOVE' framework to enhance leaders' agility and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and purposeful connections. She discusses balancing agility with consistency and integrating decision-making culture, all while promoting authentic leadership through self-reflection.

26:37

Creator website

Episode guests

Carol Kauffman

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Making the Space to Think Ahead

00:36

How to Be a Highly Effective and Scaling Leader

01:21

Dimensions of Leadership and Change

02:11

Intro

2min

Rethinking Leadership Decisions

13min

Navigating Leadership Challenges and Decisions

3min

Balancing Agility and Consistency in Leadership

2min

Empowering Decision-Making in Leadership

6min

Discovering Authentic Leadership Through Self-Reflection

3min

Many people believe that leaders instinctively make the best decisions based on past experience, almost like muscle memory. But Carol Kauffman, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the founder of the Institute of Coaching, says falling back on automatic patterns of behavior is often wrong—especially in a crisis or high-stakes choices. Instead, she explains a framework of stepping back, evaluating options, and choosing the tactics that work best in each situation. Kauffman is a coauthor, along with View Advisors founder David Noble, of the HBR article "The Power of Options" and the book Real-Time Leadership: Find Your Winning Moves When the Stakes Are High.

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