HBR Guide to Making Better Decisions

CHAPTER 21

Stop Second-Guessing Your Decisions

by Carolyn O’Hara

You’ve finally made a decision. Time to cross it off your list and move on. Or not? Do you find yourself revisiting every decision you make, agonizing over whether it really was the right one?

What the Experts Say

Everyone has moments of doubt. But “constant second-guessing can really affect your leadership—and the perception of your leadership among other people,” says Sydney Finkelstein, faculty director of Dartmouth’s Tuck Center for Leadership and the author of the book Super-bosses. It can also do unintended harm. “If you are excessively second-guessing a hire you’ve made, for instance, you are actually reducing the likelihood of that hire being successful,” says Finkelstein. ...