Speed = Performance: Why Great Leaders Decide Before They're Ready

If you’re waiting for all the data to make a decision, you’re already behind.

In a McKinsey study of over 1,200 executives, companies that made decisions quickly were twice as likely to achieve high-quality outcomes. And, they consistently outperformed their peers in revenue growth and profitability.

Doesn't speed rely too much on gut and not enough on data leading to poor decisions? 

Not according to the research and not according to Jeff Bezos, who said: “Most decisions should probably be made with around 70% of the information you wish you had. If you wait for 90%, you’re probably being slow.”

We call it One Sigma Decision Making

Speed is Not Optional

In banking and financial services, where risk and compliance loom large, many leaders are conditioned to over-analyze and under-act. 

But in today’s environment—where fintech disruptors move fast and customer expectations shift daily—decision velocity is no longer a luxury. It’s a core leadership skill.

The best executives:

👉 Establish fast, repeatable decision routines

👉 Empower teams to gather just enough data rather than complete data

👉 Treat decisions as experiments, not verdicts

When I started in venture capital where speed could mean the difference between winning and losing a deal but good analysis was the difference between making and losing money, we use this rubric:

1. What are the consequences of not making a decision now?

2. Do I have enough information to make the decision? 

3. If not, is that information knowable in the time I have to make a decision (this was the real test)

4. How hard is it to remake this decision and what information would I need? 

Another study by Deloitte showed the most successful CEOS shared two characteristics: the speed with which they made decisions and their willingness to change that decision. 

The takeaway: Speed doesn’t mean reckless.

It means prepared enough to act, humble enough to adjust.

Inaction is often the biggest risk of all.