CEOs aren’t supposed to know everything -5 decision-making frameworks

But they do need better tools to make sense of everything.

Here are 5 decision-making frameworks every leader should master:

🔍 1. Pre-Mortem Analysis

→ Spot failure points before they happen

→ Organise risks by likelihood and impact

→ Use when launching new products or strategies

❓ 2. The 5 Whys Framework

→ Ask “why” 5 times to get to the root cause

→ Use when performance dips without clear reasons

🌳 3. Decision Tree Analysis

→ Map out options, risks, and results

→ Great for product, hiring, or investment choices

⚡ 4. Rapid SWOT

→ Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

→ Revisit this quarterly to realign or reframe

🎯 5. Impact vs Effort Matrix

→ High impact, low effort? Prioritise.

→ Low impact, high effort? Cut it.

Mental models remove the noise and guide better decisions.

Use them before your next meeting, not after things go wrong.

Image credit to iiba_org on Instagram

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