Let’s be honest you know that pressure is part of the job when you’re leading a construction or engineering business. Deadlines loom, margins tighten, and everyone looks to you for answers. The question is: do you freeze or do you act? Do you self doubt or do you regret the decisions you make in the moment?

The Cost of Indecision

Indecision isn’t harmless  - it’s expensive.

Every hour you hesitate can mean lost revenue and strained client relationships. McKinsey found that ineffective decision-making wastes 500,000 days of managers’ time annually in large organisations (McKinsey UK). That’s a staggering amount of time and money down the drain.

How Pressure Exposes Leadership Gaps

When the heat is on, cracks appear. Here’s what usually happens:

• Leaders avoid tough calls to keep the peace.
• Leaders get down in the weeds and do it themselves rather than delegating
• Scope creep is allowed to creep in with no one taking the reins
• Teams wait for direction, wasting valuable time.
• Teams start to blame each other for things that are going wrong
• Confidence erodes across the wider project team

Sound familiar? You’re not alone—but you can change it.

Initiative Beats Hesitation

One of my podcast guests on The Unlikely Executive Sue Wright MD of The Harrogate Group talked to me about not waiting for permission rather focus on the power of asking the tough questions.   

Throughout her career, as a family barrister and before this as a young person from a care background Sue challenged authority respectfully and seized opportunities others wouldn’t. Her mantra? “Never be frightened to challenge in the right manner.” That’s decisive leadership in action. And according to the Corporate Governance Institute, leaders who rehearse resilience and emotional agility perform better under stress (CGI UK).

Building Resilience and Confidence

So, how do you make sure you’re ready when the pressure hits? Start here:

1. Prepare for Pressure: Anticipate challenges before they hit. Have a plan for the worst-case scenario.
2. Empower Your Team: Confidence cascades from the top down. If you trust them, they’ll trust themselves. Give them the authority to speak up
3. Use Decision Frameworks: Speed and fairness matter. A clear process keeps everyone moving forward.
4. Work with a leadership coach who can act as a sounding board and a safe space to be challenged

Tools for Fast, Fair Decision-Making

Want to make decisions that stick? Try these:

• Clear Criteria: Define success before making the call.
• Time Limits: Avoid analysis paralysis by setting deadlines.
• Commitment Culture: Once the decision is made, everyone backs it—no second-guessing.

Organisations with strong decision-making processes are more as likely to achieve financial returns above industry averages 

Pressure doesn’t have to break you, they can be the catalyst for strengthening team work and enhancing you as a leader.

If you want to lead decisively and fairly, even when the stakes are high, let’s talk. Schedule your strategy session now.