Tea or coffee? Left or right? Now or later? Or never?

Decision-making is woven into everyday life. Our choices range from the smallest micro-decisions to those that can shape our future, from “What shall I wear today?” to “Is it time to change jobs?”

Most of our decisions are handled in a semi-automatic way. We do not always need to think long and hard about which coffee brand to buy. Other decisions, however, can have far-reaching consequences and require us to navigate uncertainty, incomplete information and competing priorities.

Let’s look more closely at some of the major issues we encounter when making decisions, with practical suggestions on how to improve our decision-making.

When hindsight distorts our judgement

There are decisions we may later regret: “I should have taken that job” or “I should have hired the other candidate.” It is easy to judge ourselves retrospectively once we know the outcome. At the time, however, we did not have that hindsight.

There is even a name for this: hindsight bias. It is our tendency to see an outcome as having been more predictable than it really was. We can all be hard on ourselves about “poor decisions,” but this rarely helps. In fact, it can erode our confidence and make it harder to choose well next time.

A more constructive response might be: “I made decision X, and the outcome was Y. What can I learn from this, and what might I do differently next time?”

How bias and emotion shape decisions

Many of our decisions are influenced by cognitive biases, often arising from the mental shortcuts we all use to process information. These shortcuts are not necessarily bad; they help us function without analysing every small choice. However, they can become problematic when they cause us to overlook important information or make hasty assumptions.

In addition, emotional influence can be even stronger when we are tired, hungry, stressed or overwhelmed. These are common conditions in exhibitions and events, particularly during intense delivery periods when decisions must be made quickly.

Emotions can also play an important role in decision-making, alerting us to concerns, values or needs that deserve attention.

The aim is not to eliminate emotion, but to recognise and examine it. Naming what we feel can create useful distance: “I am feeling anxious about this decision. What am I afraid of? Is that fear supported by the evidence? What else might be influencing my reaction?”

We may be able to make more considered choices if we treat emotions as information sources.

Getting the right advice

Sometimes we seek opinions from other people before deciding. Advice can be useful, but too many contradictory views can leave us even more confused. It is often better to consult one or two carefully chosen people. These include people who know us well, have relevant experience, or are independent enough to question our assumptions. It’s not about finding confirmation or transferring responsibility, but identifying blind spots and testing our thinking. Leaders often receive contradictory input from sales, operations, marketing, venues, clients and senior management… Whose advice do I genuinely need—and whose approval might I be seeking?

Managing mental load: quality over quantity

Many women face an additional challenge that affects decision-making: the often disproportionate mental load of managing work, households and caring responsibilities1. This includes the remembering, anticipating, organising and coordinating required in family life. This can be duplicated at work, whilst being expected to remain responsive and composed. If women hesitate, show stress or express frustration, they risk being labelled as indecisive, ineffective or emotional.

Every choice — from answering routine emails to resolving an operational crisis — draws on the same finite pool of mental energy. When professional demands are combined with a heavy personal mental load, bandwidth can become depleted. This may contribute to decision fatigue, making us more likely to postpone difficult choices, rely on habitual responses or make hurried decisions.

When this pressure continues over time, the risk of burnout increases.

Photo by Drew Dau on Unsplash

Moving towards better decision-making

We do not learn to swim by holding onto the edge of the pool, and decision-making is much the same. Making a choice can be uncomfortable, but decisions need to be made, and certain choices can open doors in life.

Reducing unnecessary decisions

We can protect our mental energy by reducing the number of routine choices that require conscious thought. At work, this might involve using response templates, clear processes, standardised workflows or agreed decision-making criteria. It may also mean delegating more so that we can focus on the decisions that genuinely require our attention.

The same principle applies in personal life. Menu planning or dividing household responsibilities more explicitly may seem mundane, but these arrangements reduce the number of details one person must continually remember and coordinate.

Assessing the risk

Risk assessment can also help. We can identify what we know, distinguish facts from assumptions, consider the possible consequences of each option and ask what information is missing. Is the decision reversible? A choice that can easily be changed may not require the same level of analysis as one with major and lasting consequences.

Questioning our biases

Some useful questions to ask ourselves include:

• Am I favouring one option because it is familiar and therefore seems easier to implement? Am I seeking information that confirms my existing view while overlooking contradictory evidence?
• Am I continuing to invest in an unsuccessful initiative because so much time or money has already been committed? Am I being influenced by the most recent, striking or emotionally charged information?
• Am I tired, hungry or emotionally overwhelmed? Would it be wiser to postpone the decision until I’m rested and calmer?

A thoughtful decision can still lead to an unfavourable outcome, just as a poorly considered decision may sometimes turn out well. These questions cannot guarantee success, and no process can remove uncertainty altogether. They can, however, help us make a more thoughtful and defensible choice based on the information available at the time.

And that is already a step forward.

Sonia Thomas is an executive coach, consultant and lecturer specialising in leadership, decision-making and organisational dynamics. A former COO of UFI, she brings more than 30 years of international experience across associations, exhibitions and events. She works with organisations, leaders, teams and individual clients to strengthen judgement, enhance leadership presence and build more effective ways of working across cultures. Sonia is also VP of Women in Exhibitions International.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-campbell-thomas/

1: Women in Exhibitions research, 2025.