Removing Emotion

One of the hardest leadership skills to learn is making decisions without emotion. Not ignoring emotion - but not letting it drive the result.

When decisions are emotional, the loudest voice wins. Short-term relief overrides long-term impact. Data is secondary.

Unemotional decisions are grounded in facts, trade-offs, and consequences. I'm not advocating for being cold or detached. I'm suggesting that removing emotion creates enough distance to ask better questions. What problem are we actually solving? What happens if we do nothing? What can be undone and what cannot?

The best leaders feel deeply. The can be emotional. They just don’t make decisions impulsively because calm decisions build trust. Consistent decisions build credibility. And in moments of pressure, clarity - not emotion - is what moves organizations forward.