Why "Waiting for Clarity" is a Below-the-Line behavior
The Quiet Risk of the "Unconscious" Leader
In my consulting sessions across different sectors, I’m seeing a recurring theme: Leaders are paralyzed by the current corporate instability. They are "Wait-and-Seeing" their way into irrelevance.
As Brené Brown outlines in her latest work, there is a fundamental "Above/Below the Line" practice in leadership.
Below the Line: You are operating outside of awareness. You aren't "choosing" to delay; you are unconsciously reacting to fear. You are in a defensive crouch, waiting for the budget to be "certain" or the rating cycle to be "final."
The Result: By not deciding, you have made the most dangerous decision of all: you have surrendered your Authentic Authority to the bureaucracy.
Indecision is not a "Safe Choice." When you stay "Below the Line," you aren't protecting your team; you are leaving them without a Navigator. In the CAPDA framework, we identify this as the ultimate failure of Decisiveness (D).
The 51/49 Rule: Leading Above the Line
High-Authority leaders don’t wait for 100% certainty. They understand the 51/49 Rule. If a decision reaches your desk, it’s because it’s a coin-toss. It’s messy. It’s 51% in favor and 49% against. If it were clearer, your team would have solved it.
When you operate Above the Line, you move into the behaviors of Creating, Coaching, and Challenging.
Challenge the Stall: Ask yourself, "Am I waiting for more data, or am I avoiding the discomfort of being wrong?"
Coach the Momentum: Use the 51% margin to make the call and immediately coach your team on how to mitigate the 49% risk.
Create Certainty: Authority isn't about finding the right answer; it's about becoming the right answer through decisive action.
The corporate world doesn't reward the person who waited for the "safe choice." It rewards the person who stayed "Above the Line" when the budget was cut and the plan was shifting.
When you don't decide, you are granting the organization the option to decide for you. And in 2026, organizations are not looking for placeholders—they are looking for decisive authorities.
Is your leadership currently Above or Below the line?
If you feel your team is frozen by the current instability, your Decisiveness pillar may be compromised.
I help leaders install the CAPDA framework to reclaim their momentum. Reach out, comment “DECIDE” and let's move your leadership back Above the Line.