WHEN THE DECISION MATTERS
A CEO field guide to leading through growth, pressure and complexity without losing control of the business.
The decisions at the top rarely arrive with perfect information, unlimited time or a single right answer.
This book gives CEOs and senior leaders a disciplined way to think before the pressure arrives.
Built for decisions that carry consequences.
When the Decision Matters is not a collection of leadership slogans. It is a field guide for the moments when a leader has to choose what to protect, what to stop, who must own the next move, how much uncertainty is acceptable and what the organization can actually execute.
1
Reduce competing priorities to the few outcomes that actually matter.
2
Protect the operating system when growth begins to outpace capacity.
3
Create accountability without turning performance management into drama.
4
Stop making the CEO the escalation system for every difficult issue.
5
Create a no-surprises operating rhythm for the board and senior team.
6
Structure the first 24 hours of a serious incident around control, facts and ownership.
The Executive Decision Toolkit - $39
Designed for executives who want to put disciplined decision-making into practice.
Includes three digital resources:
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Identify where competing priorities, unclear accountability, capacity constraints, or information gaps need executive attention.
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Bring priorities, performance, risks, and decisions requiring attention into one leadership view.
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Structure a consequential decision around the facts, options, trade-offs, ownership, and next steps.
Prefer Amazon?
Bring the decision language into the leadership team.
For organizations that want a shared decision framework, leadership-team licenses and facilitated Executive Team Decision Sessions are available
Leadership Team License
$750
Give your leadership team a shared framework for priorities, accountability, and consequential decisions.
For up to 15 internal users within one organization. Request the package details, including executive resources, book access, and delivery arrangements.
Executive Team Decision Session
$3,500
A 75-minute facilitated virtual session using the BARNES Decision Architecture to help your leadership team examine a consequential decision, clarify trade-offs, establish ownership, and identify next steps.
Darryl Barnes
Darryl Barnes has spent more than two decades leading across business, public policy, economic development and community institutions. His experience includes entrepreneurship, strategic consulting, government relations, business development, legislative leadership, planning and land-use governance, retirement-system governance, and the development of business networks and strategic alliances. When the Decision Matters translates that cross-sector experience into a practical operating philosophy for executives
Some decisions need more than a book. If the issue you are carrying requires a confidential, experienced and independent perspective, Barnes Executive Advisory works with a limited number of CEOs, owners and boards.