We like to think of decision-making as a rational process: define the problem, weigh the options, choose the best path. But in practice, especially in larger organisations, decisions often stall. We gather data. We convene workshops. We commission strategy decks. And still, we hesitate.

What gets in the way is not just a lack of insight or skill. It’s the friction between two powerful forces: chaos and inertia. Together, they generate the noise and drag that cloud judgement and slow action.

Chaos is what surrounds us: the unpredictable, fast-moving swirl of signals, disruptions, crises, and competing demands. It shows up as:

• Too much information and not enough clarity
• Changing expectations, market shifts, and technological upheaval
• Contradictory inputs from stakeholders, customers, partners, and regulators
• The sense that “everything is urgent” and nothing can wait

Under pressure, chaos nudges us into reactive behaviours. We fixate on the latest signal, chase trends, reframe decisions again and again hoping for certainty. In this environment, confidence erodes. Every option feels risky. And without a clear reference point, teams default to indecision or deferral.

Chaos is not a bug in the system—it’s the system. The world doesn’t slow down to let you plan. Leaders must build strategies that assume volatility, not avoid it. This doesn’t mean acting rashly. It means acting deliberately within uncertainty.

Inertia is what binds us: the weight of the past, the shape of current systems, the pull of “how we do things here.” It takes form as:

• Outdated processes, policies, or approvals that no longer fit the pace of change
• Organisational habits that reward caution over action
• Internal politics and unclear decision ownership
• The fear of failure embedded in governance and culture

While chaos overwhelms from the outside, inertia stalls us from within. It breeds over-planning, risk avoidance, and a preference for theoretical progress over real movement. People work hard, but progress is slow. Meetings multiply. Energy dissipates.

What’s dangerous is that inertia feels responsible. It cloaks delay in the language of due diligence. But when applied indiscriminately, governance becomes theatre. Teams feel busy but stuck. Leaders feel pressure but lack traction. The drag becomes systemic.

Chaos and inertia feed off each other.

• The more chaotic things feel, the more we seek refuge in process.
• The more bound we are by process, the harder it is to respond to what’s actually happening.

This is what leads to strategic paralysis. Not because people don’t care. Not because there aren’t good ideas. But because the system creates enough friction that momentum dies before action begins.

Organisations in this state often exhibit a few telltale signs:

• Endless “alignment” conversations without resolution
• Pilots that never scale
• Plans that look impressive but rarely change frontline outcomes
• A cycle of rethinking that substitutes for real change

This is not a failure of intelligence. It’s a failure of decision architecture.

You cannot eliminate chaos. You cannot fully remove inertia. But you can design ways to move within and through them. Here’s how:

1. Clarity over Certainty

Certainty is rare, especially when conditions shift. Instead, lead with clarity of intent. What do you stand for? What trade-offs are acceptable? What long-term goal matters most? These anchors allow teams to act without waiting for perfect information.

2. Time-Boxing as Discipline

Decide when you will decide. Give problems a window not an open-ended timeline. Force motion by defining checkpoints, even if the first step is small. If you’re not moving, you’re accumulating drag.

3. Minimum Viable Governance

Right-size your oversight to the level of risk. Most decisions do not need full committees, multi-layer reviews, or extensive documentation. Save the heavy process for the few things that genuinely warrant it. For the rest move fast, learn fast.

4. Experimentation as Strategy

You can’t plan your way through chaos. But you can test your way through. Design experiments that are small enough to be safe, but structured enough to produce meaningful insight. Each test is a step forward, and the learning compounds over time.

5. Clear Accountability and Mandate

Confusion about who decides is one of the biggest contributors to drag. Name the decision-maker. Empower them. And once a decision is made, align around it even if everyone didn’t agree. “Disagree and commit” is not a cliché; it’s operational hygiene.

6. Visible Progress Over Perfection

Don’t wait for a perfect rollout. Show momentum. Deliver visible improvements, however small, and share what you’re learning. This builds confidence in the path and helps others see that motion is possible even amid messiness.

7. Make Reflection Part of Rhythm

Pause often but briefly. Use retrospectives to capture lessons. What slowed us down? What helped us move? This builds internal fluency in navigating complexity and helps organisations become more adaptive over time.

Most leaders sit between chaos and inertia tugged by both. The temptation is to wait for things to settle or to seek refuge in process. But progress lies in doing the opposite:

• Act with purpose before you have perfect clarity
• Remove friction where you can, create space where you can’t
• Design systems that expect uncertainty rather than resist it

Leadership, in this context, is not about commanding the perfect decision. It’s about shaping the environment so that better, faster, more resilient decisions become possible and repeatable.

This takes courage. It takes focus. And it takes the willingness to work differently, not just harder.

The future is not waiting. Every day you delay a decision, someone else moves. Every time you default to complexity, someone else simplifies. Every moment of drift, someone else finds direction.

If you want progress create the conditions for it. Cut the noise. Reduce the drag. Decide.