A CEO once said to me, “We’re not stuck. We’re just… slow.”
The company had strong people, solid data, and a clear strategy. Yet every major decision took multiple meetings, layers of alignment, and endless follow-ups. By the time a choice was made, the opportunity had shifted.
The board was frustrated. The CEO was frustrated. And no one could point to a single “problem.”
Because the problem wasn’t execution. It was decision velocity.
I saw this clearly during a leadership offsite where the team listed their priorities. They named twenty-seven. When I asked which three decisions would most impact enterprise value in the next twelve months, the room went quiet.
Not because they didn’t care. Because no one had ever forced the distinction.
We narrowed the focus to three enterprise-level decisions:
- One about where to invest capital
- One about where to simplify operations
- One about which market opportunity truly mattered
Within a quarter, execution accelerated. Not because people worked harder. Because they finally knew what mattered most.
Decision velocity is the rate at which clarity becomes action. And it is the single strongest predictor of enterprise value creation.
Most organizations believe their constraint is:
- Resources
- Talent
- Technology
In reality, their constraint is:
- Decision ownership
- Decision clarity
- Decision discipline
When decisions slow:
- Opportunities expire
- Teams lose confidence
- Complexity increases
- Enterprise value erodes quietly
When decisions accelerate:
- Focus sharpens
- Energy rises
- Execution simplifies
- Value compounds
This is what Enterprise Value Architects understand. Growth does not come from more activity. It comes from fewer, better, faster decisions.
Key Takeaways for CEOs
- If execution feels slow, examine your decision flow before your strategy.
- Define the 2–3 decisions that truly shape enterprise value right now.
- Eliminate competing priorities that dilute leadership attention.
- Clarify ownership so decisions don’t stall in consensus.
- Your role is to create momentum through clarity, not pressure.
Key Takeaways for Boards
- Dashboards without decision clarity are noise, not governance.
- Ask what decisions the data is meant to enable.
- Focus agendas on the few decisions that shape the next 12–24 months.
- Hold leadership accountable for decision ownership, not activity.
- Boards create value by accelerating clarity, not extending discussion.
Revenue is a result. Execution is a capability. Decision velocity is the engine that powers both.
When CEOs and Boards design for faster, clearer decisions, enterprise value stops being aspirational and starts becoming inevitable.