The "Do Something" Reflex

Why CEOs feel forced into action... and what goes wrong from there

“I have to do something!”

This is the feeling that often grips CEOs when the business is facing urgent problems, especially ones with no clear solution.

Say the economy takes a dive, or a product launch is failing. The CEO feels responsible for acting decisively. That’s part of the job. The pressure builds and builds. You have to stop standing there and act!

Welcome to what I call the “Do Something” Reflex. In these situations, doing anything feels better than doing nothing, even if you have no idea how to fix things.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a bias for action. I am a big proponent of decision speed. But the “Do Something” Reflex presents real dangers for the CEO and the business.

How so? Well, when we act quickly, we tend to become wedded to our initial move, despite not knowing what the hell we were doing in the first place.

You can see this play out in every realm of high-level leadership, whether it’s the boardroom of a Fortune 500 or the Oval Office. The leader makes a big dec…