The Power of Choice in Leadership

I’m sitting at my desk this morning, staring at a blank page, wondering what to say. It’s not that I have nothing to talk about. Quite the opposite. There are too many topics swirling around in my head, all of them vying for attention. Too many options to consider. And the more I have, the more confusing it gets.

I catch myself weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each possibility, running through scenarios of what might work best. Yet the more I analyse, the less certain I feel. Instead of clarity, I end up paralysed, second-guessing myself, unable to choose.

I’ve been here before: not just with writing, but in shaping my own thought leadership strategy. Identifying the key challenges I faced was relatively straightforward. Choosing one to prioritise and focus on? Far less so. Because the moment I decide on one, I feel the pull of the others. If I focus here, am I neglecting something important over there? And when I finally make that choice, another question creeps in: have I chosen wisely?

That’s the thing about choice.

It comes with risk. Once you decide, you cut off other options, and the path ahead can feel uncertain. Yet without choice, there is no progress. We stay stuck, circling in indecision, waiting for the perfect answer that never arrives.

Leadership is full of choices. Some small and barely noticeable. Others weighty, life-altering even. And for women leaders especially, those choices are often amplified. Do I take that promotion, knowing it may cost me precious family time? Do I speak up in this meeting, or let the moment pass? Do I stay in a career that feels safe but stifling, or do I risk stepping into something new, untested, and unknown?

The truth is, not every choice turns out as we hope. Sometimes the decision we make leads us down a rocky path. The outcome may be unfavourable or simply unforeseen. And that can feel like failure. It isn’t. It’s part of the process. Because every so-called “wrong” choice teaches us something valuable. It sharpens our awareness, broadens our perspective, and gives us insight we didn’t have before. With that wisdom, we get to course correct, go back to the drawing board, and choose again.

The lesson in this?

That’s the lesson I keep learning. Choice is less about finding the one perfect, irreversible answer, and more about giving ourselves permission to act, to move forward with the best information and instincts we have right now. And then, if needed, to adjust. To refine. To redirect with greater clarity.

For the women leaders I work with, this is often the crux of their struggle. They juggle so many demands and possibilities, they hesitate to choose. They want to keep all options open, to avoid risk, to not get it “wrong.” Yet the cost of indecision is high. It drains energy, clouds focus, and delays the very impact they long to make.

What I’ve found is that when you make a choice — even an imperfect one — the relief is immediate. The noise quiets. The energy flows again. You have a direction, a place to put your attention, and that focus brings momentum. And momentum, more often than not, reveals the next right step.

Decide

So this morning, instead of dithering over what to write, I chose to write about choice itself. And as soon as I made that decision, the words began to flow. That’s the gift of choosing: it frees us to act.

And here’s the invitation I want to leave you with. Where are you hesitating right now? Where are you circling the same options, weighing the same pros and cons, waiting for certainty before you move? What if you gave yourself permission to simply choose, knowing you can always course correct later?

Choice is not about being right. It’s about moving forward. And as leaders, that’s where our true power lies.