Why Leaders Under Pressure Make Worse Decisions

As leaders, we’re expected to make good decisions, even when we’re tired, stressed or running on empty. But what if that expectation is fundamentally flawed?

In this reflective end-of-year episode, we explore a provocative truth: tired, stressed and sick people don’t make good decisions. Drawing on leadership psychology, decision-making research and lived experience, we unpack why energy, not time, is the real constraint on leadership effectiveness.

As we head into Christmas, when fatigue often catches up with us, we look at why leaders are especially vulnerable to decision fatigue, how depleted energy quietly shapes judgement, and what it costs organisations when leaders “power through”.

This isn’t about resilience or weakness. It’s about biology, behaviour and leadership responsibility, and how protecting energy is one of the most strategic decisions leaders can make going into the year ahead.

Key Talking Points

1. Energy, not effort, determines decision quality
2. When energy drops, leaders don’t just decide worse, they decide differently
3. Why leaders are uniquely vulnerable to decision fatigue
4. Energy management matters more than time management
5. Protecting decision quality requires deliberate leadership shifts