Hi Reader

Happy St.Valentines Day ❤️

I watched a client, Sarah, make a £22 million decision in under a minute last week.

No spreadsheets. No committee meetings. No endless pros & cons and debating.

I sat at the back of a boardroom, observing. The room fell silent. It was fascinating. A few senior executives shifted in their seats, clearly uncomfortable with the speed and weight of what just happened.

But here's what interested me – Sarah was smiling. Not the nervous smile of someone who just rolled the dice. But, you know, the quiet, confident smile of someone who knew exactly what they were doing.

Later, over coffee, she shared something that changed how I think about decisions. "Most leaders," she said, stirring her coffee, "spend all their time asking 'Should we do this?' That's why they get fu$king stuck, Paul. I flip it. I ask 'What stops us from doing this tomorrow?'"

This 'flip' changes everything.

Let's see how......

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It's been a pleasure to bring you this...

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(Note: of course I also realise that perhaps you might want to sample the course in advance before investing....if that feels like something that would work for you then drop me an email to paul@theleaders.coach and I'll give you access to one module)

Now, let's back to the 'flip' that's going to enhance your decision-making.....

The Permission Flip

Think about your last big decision. How much time did you spend building a case for why you should do it? Now imagine flipping that. Instead of trying to prove it's right, ask what would make it wrong.

Sarah calls this the Permission Flip.

Now, yes Sarah works in a business environment and not a sports club/team but the principle holds for your context too.

It's just one piece of a decision framework I've seen top leaders use. They never talk about it openly. Not because it's secret, but because it's so natural to them they don't realise they're doing it; a level of unconscious competence if you like.

Here's how it works:

Start with the Inverting The Question (remember the past edition we did on that strategy??) Most leaders ask: "What could go wrong?" High performing leaders ask: "What needs to be true for this to be right?"

See the difference? One traps you in fear. The other guides you to clarity.

Last month, Tom (a rugby head-coach I work with) used this when deciding whether to change his team's playing style mid-season. Instead of listing all the risks, he asked what needed to be true for it to work. The answer was simple: His playmakers needed to believe in it. That clarity cut through weeks of potential debate.

So how can you breathe life into The Permission Flip?

Remember these few signposts......

What's not being said

Sarah noticed that in meetings about their big deal, nobody talked about competition. Not a word. In her world, that silence screamed. We went into depth about this in last week's edition i.e. what's not being said.​

It meant either everyone saw something obvious, or everyone missed something crucial. Turned out it was the second one – they'd all assumed they were first to market. They weren't. But they were first to spot a critical flaw in the current market approach.

The 3-2-1 Reality Check

Before any big call, top leaders run a quick mental checklist:

• 3 silent signals they're reading
• 2 assumptions they're challenging
• 1 core truth they're betting on

But here's the kicker that separates good leaders from great ones: They don't use this framework to make perfect decisions. They use it to make faster, braver ones.

Think about that. The goal isn't perfection. It's speed with clarity.

The Warning Sign

So how do you know you need this framework? It's when you catch yourself saying something like: "We just need more data."

Usually, that means one of two things:

1. You're stalling because you don't trust your read of the situation
2. You're hoping data will make the decision for you

Neither leads to breakthrough success.

Your Next Move

Tomorrow, pick a decision you've been sitting on. Run it through the Permission Flip:

1. What stops you from doing it tomorrow?
2. What needs to be true for it to work?
3. What's not being said about it?

Write down your answers. They'll either give you the clarity to move fast or show you exactly what you need to fix.

One Last Thing

Sarah's £22M decision? It paid off. Not because she was certain it would work. But because she was clear about what would make it work.

That's the real secret of decision-makers that deliver. They don't aim for certainty. They aim for clarity.

Over to you....your call.

Mail me at paul@theleaders.coach and let me know: What decision have you been sitting on that needs the Permission Flip?

[Next week: Why top leaders ignore the very metrics they're judged on]

Interested in more leadership strategies, insights & frameworks to help you perform better?

Then check out my YouTube channel: Paul Clarke - The Leaders Coach.

Let’s connect: On X and Linkedin

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A Master's Voice....

You see I've long thought that the primary 'end' or 'outcome' we need to shoot for as sports leaders is a deep & felt sense of connection amongst the people who surround us. Inter-connection and Intra-connection. A feeling that they belong to a tribe; one that they believe in and are passionate about. Where they feel like what they do matters towards the health, survival and thriving of the tribe (i.e. team/club or company). This depth of feeling can survive anything that's thrown at it. Nurturing a group of people who feel wanted, connected, important and like they belong might well be your most important piece of work. Ever.

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Thank you for being part of the Leaders Coach community. The work on how to lead better is something you have to do alone. But you don't have to do it on your own. Onward and Upward, Paul Clarke

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