If you’re like most Product Managers, you agonize over big decisions because you want to get them right.
You play out every scenario. You analyze every tradeoff. You try to make the “best” call.
But what if that very instinct is holding you back from growing into a Product Leader?
Good Decisions vs. Good Decision Making
Leadership is decision-making.
You must make decisions that move the team, product, and business forward.
But here’s what most PMs overlook: how you make decisions matters just as much as what you decide.
If every decision wears you out…
If you keep second-guessing yourself afterward…
If your confidence erodes a little more each time…
Your energy drains. Your morale takes a hit. Worse, that ripple effect spreads. Your team feels it – even if you never say a word.
Being a good decision maker isn’t just about making good decisions. It’s about making sustainable ones.
Maximizers vs. Satisficers
In the book The Paradox of Choice, psychologist Barry Schwartz outlines two types of decision-makers:
- Maximizers want the best possible option. They research endlessly, weigh every tradeoff, and compare choices to a mythical “perfect” choice that combines all the pros (and none of the cons). Even when they do choose, they often feel uneasy – since no choice stacks up to the ideal.
- Satisficers look for a good enough option. Once something meets their criteria, they commit and move on. No guilt. No second-guessing. And ironically? They’re usually happier with their choice.
Spoiler: Product Managers tend to be Maximizers, while Product Leaders tend to be Satisficers.
But why?
Why PMs Maximize, and Leaders Satisfice
Maximizing often makes sense for PMs – at least early in their careers. Here’s why:
- Narrow Scope = Local Optimization
PMs typically own a single feature or area. Local optimization is rewarded. You’re asked to dig deep, polish the details, and push for the best possible outcome in your lane. - Shorter Time Horizons
PMs often operate in cycles – launches, sprints, quarters. This leads to a “maximize each move” approach, where the goal is to win this release, this goal, this metric. There’s less incentive to play the long game. - Perceived Risk = Perfectionism
When you’re earlier in your career, every decision can feel like a referendum on your competence. You default to maximizing – not because it’s efficient, but because it feels safer.
But once you step into leadership, everything changes:
- Wider Scope = More Tradeoffs
Leaders aren’t optimizing one metric – they’re balancing multiple priorities across teams, customers, and company strategy. Trying to maximize any one thing in isolation hurts the system. - Longer-Term Goals
Leaders must achieve the vision, not just the next milestone. They know they face dozens of high-stakes, ambiguous decisions on the path to victory. Trying to maximize every one is a guaranteed path to burnout. - Speed Over Perfection
Leaders know most decisions are reversible. What matters is forward motion. They let go of perfect, choose confidently, and adjust quickly – because indecision is often riskier than a wrong call.
To grow into a Product Leader, you need to shift your style of decision-making. Here’s how.
How to Make “Good Enough” Decisions
Being a Satisficer doesn’t mean lowering your standards.
It means identifying the paths that meet your standard, committing to one, and confidently moving forward – without ruminating over every path and wondering “what if”.
And here’s the kicker: Maximizers and Satisficers often make the exact same decisions.
But Satisficers walk away with more clarity, less stress, and more energy for the decisions that come next.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Define “Good Enough” Upfront
Before diving into the pros and cons of each option, take a step back and ask: “What does success look like?”
Define your must-haves. Set your constraints. Decide what you’re optimizing for.
The key is to do this upfront. That way, when a choice meets your criteria, you can call it good enough and move forward.
2. Recognize the Mythical Choice
When facing a decision, become aware of whether you’re genuinely comparing the available options against each other, or if you’re chasing that elusive, “perfect” choice that only exists in your head.
Remember: a real decision is a choice between imperfect but viable options – not perfection vs. imperfection.
3. Make the Decision, Then Own It
Once you make your call – lean into it.
Amplify the positives. Accept the tradeoffs. Trust yourself.
If new info shows up later, adjust. That’s leadership.
But don’t stay half-in, half-out. That posture drains energy and confidence – yours and your team’s. Indecision is often more damaging than a less-than-perfect choice.
4. Cultivate Awareness
Pay attention to your decision-making patterns over time. Old habits like to creep back in. Bringing frequent awareness to your tendencies can help make your perspective shift permanent.
Final Thoughts
Maximizers exhaust themselves chasing perfection.
Satisficers choose well, move forward, and stay energized for what comes next.
If you want to lead large teams, ship bold bets, and scale your impact as a Product Leader – you need to stop trying to make perfect decisions.
And start getting really, really good at making confident ones.
