Every decision involves two essential phases: gathering information and then doing something with it. While that may sound simple, we each have different preferences for how we move through those phases.
Some of us gather information intuitively—we rely on our gut, instincts, or lived experience to shape our view of what’s going on. Others prefer a more analytical approach, digging into data, doing research, and looking for patterns or evidence.
Once we’ve gathered enough input, the next question becomes: Now what do we do with our information? Some people choose to reflect—they pause, weigh the options, and think things through to “get it right.” Others prefer to act—they move forward, trusting that clarity will come through momentum and course correction, because they are comfortable making changes along the way.
These two preferences—how we gather information and what we do with it—form the axes of the Decision-Making Styles framework:
– The vertical axis refers to how we gather information: Intuitive or Analytical
– The horizontal axis refers to how we engage with that information: Reflect or Act.
Together, these axes form four distinctive styles:
Each style plays a vital role. Effective decision-making isn’t about having one style—it’s about leveraging them all. Whether embodied in one person or distributed across a team, these four approaches help ensure that decisions are imaginative, well-considered, focused, and executed.
