Think Faster Than the Problem: How to Make Better Decisions in Chaotic Moments
You are 10,000 feet in the air, the night is black, and the roar of the plane’s engines is the only thing you hear. Then, the green light flashes. You jump, but something is wrong, a malfunction. You have seconds to analyze the problem and act. Hesitation means death.
In the UK Tier 1 Special Forces, I learned that pressure isn’t abstract. When you’re diving at night beneath an oil rig and your mask tears away in the dark, every second stretches into eternity. You can’t see, you can’t breathe, and panic is waiting to pounce—but control is what keeps you alive.
You might not be jumping out of planes, but hesitation can be detrimental in a corporate environment too. It costs market share, investor confidence, and survival itself. Quick decision-making is a superpower.
Make Chaos Your Ally, Not Your Enemy
Most people think of chaos as a state of disorder. It’s the opposite. Chaos is a flood of information where the landscape is changing faster than you can process it. Emails are piling up, data is conflicting, and your team is looking to you for answers you don’t have. When everything feels urgent, nothing is, and your brain knows it.
In a combat zone, this flood might be enemy movements, civilian presence, and surprising terrain. In business, it could be shifting customer demands, a competitor’s surprise launch, or a sudden economic downturn. The mental response is similar: fear of the unknown, which breeds hesitation.
One of my old Sergeant Majors had a simple way to cut through the noise. When a situation seemed overbearing, he’d ask, “Right, is anyone dying?” If the answer were no, he’d say, “Let’s talk about it over a cup of tea.”
His approach wasn’t dismissive; it was a matter of triage.
Emergency medics don’t try to save everyone at once; they categorize injuries as P1, P2, and P3. They focus their energy where it matters most. When chaos hits, you must do the same. Ask yourself: What is the one thing that, if I don’t address it now, will cause the most damage? That’s your P1. Everything else can wait.
Adrenaline tunnels your vision, priming the body for survival, not strategy. Training doesn’t stop panic, but makes panic rehearsed.
“Right, is anyone dying?” If the answer were no, he’d say, “Let’s talk about it over a cup of tea.”
Gain Clarity with a Special Forces Toolkit
Master the OODA Loop. Although we never called it this, out-thinking and out-pacing the rival is a universal concept. This mental model helps you decide before your opponent or the problem can evolve. It’s a continuous cycle:
- Observe: See what’s actually happening. Gather the raw data without judgment.
- Orient: Draw on your training and experience to interpret what you see. Connect the dots to map the chaos.
- Decide: Choose the best possible action based on your orientation. This phase is where the 80% rule applies — make a good decision now, not a perfect one too late.
- Act: Execute your decision.
Your action changes the situation, forcing you to observe again. The goal is to quickly cycle through this loop so the competition or the crisis reacts to you.
Here are the battle-tested frameworks that force clarity and speed:
- Decide with 80% of the information. The executive craving for complete market data mirrors the general need for total battlefield visibility. By the time either gets it, the moment has passed. When I decided to cycle the 14,000-mile Pan-American Highway, we started with only 80% of our gear. Had I waited for perfect conditions, we never would have left.
- Break impossible goals into winnable steps. Staring at a massive goal, like a 14,000-mile bike ride, is mentally overwhelming. Obsessing over the outcome leads to paralysis. So, I broke the journey down into countries, then days, then four daily two-hour rides. Momentum kills overwhelm. Ask yourself: “What is the smallest winnable step I can take right now?”
During my nine-month Special Forces selection, I didn’t think about earning the beret. I asked: “What do I need to do today to be here tomorrow?
Build Your Decision-Making Muscle Before the Fight
Pressure reveals what practice has built. In the Forces, we have a saying: “You don’t rise to the occasion; you fall back on the level of your training.” It’s true for operators and CEOs.
We train for the worst-case scenario until it becomes second nature. We master daylight jumps before we ever face the darkness.
We use live ammunition, not blanks. We’re choosing discomfort now to build immunity against stress later. When your wiring stands in the way of progress, you need a decisive response to take over.
How can you practice for chaos before it arrives?
- Run crisis simulations and tabletop exercises.
- Create scenarios where information is missing or a key team member is unavailable.
- Put a time limit on decisions and throw in a curveball halfway through.
Your gut feeling is an experience. It’s your brain recognizing patterns from the thousands of “reps” you’ve put in. The more scenarios you expose yourself to, the more reliable your instinct will become.
Sidestep the Pitfalls That Sink Most Leaders
When chaos strikes, I see leaders make repeated mistakes:
- Failure to Triage. They try to solve everything at once instead of isolating the P1 problem.
- Waiting for Unity. They stall for a consensus that never comes, forgetting that paralysis is a decision in itself.
- Communication Breakdown. Their silence creates a vacuum where fear breeds rumors.
- Micromanaging. They fail to trust the team, which destroys decentralized execution and autonomy.
But the biggest failure I see is a communication breakdown. Your team doesn’t freeze from bad news — but from no news. Leadership’s silence becomes a vacuum that fear and rumor rush to fill. Be clear, decisive, and communicate the plan, even if it’s to focus on the next 24 hours.
In the military, simplicity is a preference and a doctrine. We don’t advance until the essentials become reflexes that survive chaos. Leaders often overcomplicate things in a crisis. Go back to basics. What is the most direct path to achieving the next attainable step?
Trust your team. Special forces operate with centralized command but decentralized execution. Everyone knows the mission and the role of the person two ranks above them. That cross-training builds resilience. If a leader goes down, someone else can immediately step up.
Micromanaging in a crisis is a recipe for disaster. Give your people a clear purpose and the autonomy to achieve it.
I have never lost respect for a leader who made a decision that turned out to be wrong. I have lost respect for those who cannot make a decision.
Act with Conviction, Adapt with Speed
At 10,000 feet with a failed chute, certainty is reflex, not reflection. Training creates that clarity. You act on the 80% you have instead of waiting for the 20% you don’t.
It holds whether fighting gravity or watching a world-record attempt shatter mid-collision. The plan will change when uncontrollable events occur. Your response is the only variable you own.
Start practicing now. Make small decisions faster: give yourself 60 seconds to pick lunch, not 10 minutes. Force yourself to move forward with incomplete information.
Decision-making is a well-worn path. Under pressure, your feet find it in the dark. The chaos others freeze in becomes your straightest line. This isn’t theory — it’s trainable.
The information provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, recommendations, or solicitation. Solyco Capital and/or its affiliates may have financial interests in companies discussed herein, which creates potential conflicts of interest. The views expressed are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect official positions of Solyco Capital. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. Readers should conduct independent research and consult their own attorneys, accountants, and other professional advisors before making any investment decisions. The content herein should not be construed as a solicitation or offer to engage in any investment strategy, purchase of securities, or other transaction. All information is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied.
Share On LinkedIn More News & Views