Why Leaders Mistake Impulsivity for Decisiveness

Jan 22

How to Build the Foresight Muscle

Written by Dr. Jemaine L. Irby, 19 January 2026

Every leader has felt the pull to act fast, to say “yes” in the heat of the moment, and to equate speed with strength. But what if that reflex isn’t decisiveness at all, but something more subtle (and costly): impulsivity? At Irby Ethical Strategies, we see this pattern in every sector, from approving contracts late at night to adding headcount without a second thought. The costs are rarely immediate, but they compound: budget overruns, team confusion, and scope creep all trace back to a missing moment of pause.

So how do we help leaders surface and shift these patterns? We use tools grounded in both behavioral science and practical experience. For example, we run “peer feedback rounds,” in which colleagues flag recent decisions that felt reactive. We encourage leaders to keep “decision journals” that track choices made under time pressure, then compare their self-rationale with others’ perspectives. In meetings, we train teams to use “stoplight” cues, a quick yellow or red call to inject space for reflection.

But it is not enough to slow down; we need to build foresight. We guide clients through pre-mortem workshops (“What could kill this idea?”) and help them craft “if-then” scripts that trigger deliberate pauses when old habits threaten to resurface. We coach leaders to visualize their future selves, looking back with clarity at what regrets they could prevent today simply by pausing.

Accountability matters too. We pair leaders as accountability partners, train them to call each other out on impulses, and track objective measures of effectiveness: fewer budget surprises, less scope creep, more voices heard before tough calls. We push for procedural fairness (“Who hasn’t spoken yet?”) and radical transparency, a pause log to show where restraint was practiced, not just results achieved.

Let us be clear: impulsive choices are not a sign of “stupidity.” In fact, “stupidity” is a folk term we use to describe behaviors that frustrate us, but research shows it is often not about intelligence at all. Low IQ can increase the risk of specific errors, but most snap decisions stem from context, motivation, or blind-spot factors that leadership can change. That is why we blend impulse audits with emotional intelligence tools, helping leaders pinpoint exactly why specific triggers set them off and what to do next.

If you see yourself or your team in these stories racing to yes, firefighting, or wondering why the same mistakes keep recurring, let us talk. We can co-design a sprint to make “pause before proceed” your team’s new superpower. Reach out to Irby Ethical Strategies and let us build the muscle for ethical foresight, one decision at a time.