Shipping Over Certainty: The 70% Rule for Modern Leaders
Strategy is a hypothesis, not a guarantee.
Hello Leaders,
In the fast-paced worlds of media, entertainment, and product, we often fall into the trap of believing that more data equals better decisions. But this week, I’ve seen a recurring theme in my coaching sessions: Analysis Paralysis. Whether you are a Senior Leader balancing long-term ROI against shifting consumer behaviors, or a New Manager afraid to make a “wrong” call that impacts your team’s sprint, the pressure is the same. When the stakes are high, the natural instinct is to wait for one more report or one more round of feedback.
The Strategy: Moving from Perfection to Momentum
From my experience in strategy and operations, I’ve found that the most successful “Product” isn’t the one that’s perfect; it’s the one that’s in the hands of the user. To grow through this, we have to shift our mindset from accuracy to agility.
For the New Manager: The 70% Rule
If you have 70% of the information you need, make the call. Waiting for that extra 30% usually costs more in lost team momentum than it gains in precision. Your team looks to you for a “green light”—don’t let the search for a “perfect” light turn into a permanent yellow.
For the Senior Leader: Define the “Reversibility”
Ask your directors: “Is this a one-way door or a two-way door?” Most operational decisions—hiring a vendor, tweaking a feature, shifting a marketing budget—are two-way doors. You can walk back through them. Save your deep, exhaustive analysis for the rare one-way doors that define the company’s decade.
For Every Leader: Audit Your “Information Diet”
Just because you can track a metric doesn’t mean you should. Identify the three “North Star” metrics that actually drive your strategy and ignore the noise. If you’re drowning in dashboards, you aren’t leading; you’re reacting.
When we empower our teams to make “fast-fail” decisions, we aren’t just improving operations; we are building a culture of trust and psychological safety.
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
Resources to Dive Deeper
The Knowledge Project Podcast: Hosted by Shane Parrish, this explores mental models and decision-making frameworks with world-class thinkers.
Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke: A former poker pro explains how to embrace uncertainty and make better decisions when you don’t have all the facts.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey – A timeless framework for self-leadership and character-driven growth.
The Leader is You - A Daily Growth Journal – A guided reflection tool designed to help you build awareness and intention in your leadership practice.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Why it matters: For leaders in entertainment and strategy, the “disciplined pursuit of less” is a superpower.
Whether you’re managing your first direct report or an entire division, this book teaches you how to filter through the noise to focus on your highest point of contribution.
Consider how many different pieces of content you see in any given week. See something that resonates with you? Share it with us to feature it in our Social Media of the Week section.
“Speed is a formal element of strategy. If you are slow, you are wrong.”
-Leadership Mastery Network
