Leading with Confidence Starts with Better Decisions

By: Eryn Veronesi

Every day, healthcare professionals make decisions that shape patient care, business outcomes, team performance, and the future of their organizations. Whether you're leading a project, managing a team, navigating organizational change, or evaluating competing priorities, your ability to make thoughtful, strategic decisions directly influences your success as a leader.

Yet, even the most experienced professionals aren't immune to poor decision-making.

Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, whose groundbreaking work transformed our understanding of human behavior, found that our thinking is often influenced by unconscious cognitive biases—mental shortcuts that can lead us away from objective, rational decisions. As explored by McKinsey & Company, these biases can cause us to overlook important information, rely too heavily on past experiences, or seek evidence that simply confirms what we already believe.

These biases don't just affect individuals—they impact organizations as well. According to Gallup's research on organizational decision-making, only 24% of U.S. managers strongly agree that their peers make well-thought-out decisions, and only 14% are satisfied with the speed of decision-making within their organizations. Those findings highlight a significant opportunity for leaders to strengthen one of the most valuable skills they'll use throughout their careers.

The encouraging news? Better decision-making is a skill that can be learned.

The most effective leaders don't simply rely on instinct. They intentionally slow down when faced with complex decisions, seek diverse perspectives, challenge their own assumptions, and use proven frameworks to evaluate options more objectively. They understand that better decisions don't just improve individual performance—they build stronger teams, foster innovation, increase trust, and drive better organizational outcomes.

Today's healthcare environment makes this skill more important than ever. Rapid advances in AI and digital transformation, evolving regulations, supply chain challenges, workforce shortages, and increasing pressure to improve outcomes require leaders to make informed decisions in the face of uncertainty. Strategic thinking has become a critical leadership competency at every level of an organization.

One of the most valuable mindset shifts leaders can make is recognizing the difference between a decision and its outcome. Sometimes a well-informed decision produces an unexpected result, while a poor decision may succeed simply because of circumstances outside our control. Strong leaders evaluate the quality of their decision-making process—not just the outcome—allowing them to continuously improve and make more confident decisions over time.

Another hallmark of exceptional leaders is their willingness to embrace healthy debate and diverse thinking. Research from McKinsey's Global Survey on Strategic Decision-Making found that organizations producing the best strategic decisions consistently demonstrated objective evaluation of facts, robust discussion, and a willingness to challenge assumptions before moving forward. These organizations were more likely to achieve successful outcomes because they focused on improving the decision-making process itself.

At Professional Women in Healthcare (PWH), we believe professional growth begins with continuous learning. Investing in leadership development equips you with the tools to navigate complexity, inspire confidence, and create meaningful impact within your organization. Just as importantly, learning alongside peers from across the healthcare industry provides fresh perspectives, practical insights, and a supportive network of professionals committed to growing together.

Whether you're an emerging leader, project manager, team lead, experienced executive, or transitioning from an individual contributor into a people leadership role, strengthening your decision-making skills can elevate every aspect of your career. The confidence to make thoughtful, strategic decisions not only enhances your own performance—it empowers your team and positions you as a trusted leader.

If you're ready to sharpen your strategic thinking, we invite you to join PWH's upcoming interactive professional development course. Together, we'll explore why our brains often lead us astray, examine the common challenges that influence decision-making, learn practical techniques to reduce cognitive bias, and discover proven models—including the WRAP framework—that can help you make more confident, effective decisions. You'll leave with actionable tools you can immediately apply to your work, your team, and your leadership journey.

The decisions you make today shape the leader you'll become tomorrow. Invest in yourself, strengthen your leadership toolkit, and join fellow healthcare professionals for this engaging learning experience. Register today and discover how making better decisions can help you lead with greater confidence, clarity, and impact.