Have you ever been faced with a situation where you had to make a decision, but you didn’t have all the information? I’m sure we’ve all been there where you’re not 100% sure what the right call is. So, what do you do?
Sometimes, we wait. And wait. And wait.
Other times, we make a call based on what we know—even if we don’t know everything.
In the world of office professionals, we’re often expected to act quickly, juggle a dozen moving parts, and support decision-making across the board. But here’s a truth I’ve learned the hard way: bad decisions can be fixed, but indecision keeps you stuck.
Bad decisions are choices made with limited or imperfect information. Maybe you acted too quickly. Maybe you guessed wrong. But at least you acted. A bad decision gives you feedback. You learn what doesn’t work. You get new data.
Indecision, on the other hand, is paralysis. It’s doing nothing out of fear of doing the wrong thing. It doesn’t teach you anything. It doesn’t move you forward. It just freezes everything.
I once had to bring handouts for a big meeting I was facilitating, but the final version of the report wasn’t ready. I was stuck: do I wait and risk showing up empty-handed, or do I print the draft and hope for the best? I chose the draft. Bad decision? Oh yes. One page literally said, “insert graph here,” and a couple of the charts were clearly placeholders.
But here’s the funny thing—those “insert graph here” pages ended up being the most helpful part of the meeting. People laughed, grabbed their pens, and started sketching in what they thought should go there. The draft turned into a working document, and the meeting moved forward.
It wasn’t polished, and it definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was better than sitting around the table with nothing at all.
That was a “bad” decision—but a useful one. If I’d waited for the charts to arrive (they never did), we would have nothing at all.
Now let’s talk about indecision.
I once had to book travel for a conference and couldn’t decide: do I fly in a day earlier than necessary and pay for an extra hotel, or take the late-night flight and risk delays (no one wants to arrive at 1 am)? Do I splurge on the hotel next to the venue, or save money and stay at the budget place across town? I went back and forth so long that by the time I finally sat down to book, the cheap flights were gone, the nice hotel was sold out, and I ended up with the most expensive flight paired with the least convenient hotel.
My indecision didn’t save me stress or money, but instead guaranteed I got the worst of both worlds. And yes, when I was an admin, I had done the same with my manager’s travel. I was trying to save money, but in the end, I spent far over budget and booked a low-quality option too. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy with my inability to make a decision and book the travel!
Indecision was worse than the “wrong” decision.
As office professionals, we’re wired to get it right. We don’t like mistakes. We want to support our teams flawlessly. That can lead to perfectionism, which often turns into paralysis.
But here’s the hard truth: waiting for perfect conditions is usually just fear in disguise. We tell ourselves, “I’m just being careful.” But what we’re really doing is avoiding risk. And risk, as uncomfortable as it is, is where growth happens.
3 Things to Remember
- Bad decisions are better than no decisions.
Action creates momentum. Even if you fail, you learn something valuable. - You can always pivot.
Rarely is a decision truly final. You can revise the spreadsheet. Reschedule the meeting. Redirect the email. But you can’t revise something that doesn’t exist. - Clarity comes from doing, not thinking.
You won’t always think your way into the right answer. Often, you have to act your way into it. The fog lifts when you take that first step.
How to Move Forward When You’re Stuck
- Set a timer: Give yourself 15 minutes to gather what you know, make a call, and move forward. Force yourself to work on the situation for just 15 minutes instead of delaying one more time and trying to convince yourself that you’ll have more information tomorrow.
- Use a placeholder: Draft the email, send the invite, or submit a rough version with clear notes. People can react to something—but not to nothing.
- Ask for forgiveness, not permission (when appropriate): You likely have more authority than you think. Take initiative. Trust your instincts.
If you’re an admin, you’re already a professional problem-solver. You juggle priorities, anticipate needs, and keep things running smoothly. You will make a bad call once in a while. So what? That’s not failure. That’s learning.
Don’t let the fear of doing it wrong stop you from doing it at all.
The best professionals aren’t perfect—they’re decisive.
So next time you’re hesitating? Make the call. Hit send. Book the room. Do something.
You’ll figure it out as you go. Trust me—I’ve been there.