Your Decision-Making Pattern
- Cristina Stensvaag
- Feb 24
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 22
You're not making random decisions. You're running a pattern. This week, find it.
February 24, 2026
Originally published in One More Rep, a weekly newsletter for people managers who want to get better through practice. Subscribe here — it's free.
You've practiced making the call, not over-explaining it, following up, and owning it when you're wrong. This week: what do those reps reveal about how you lead?
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The Moment
It's late February, and you've made dozens of decisions over the past few weeks. Some worked, some didn't. Some you followed up on, some you avoided. Some you owned quickly, some you defended too long.
Now March is coming. Different decisions, same leader.
The Pattern
You're not making random decisions. You're running a pattern.
Maybe you over-research small calls. Maybe you announce decisions late. Maybe you follow up on easy ones and avoid hard ones. Maybe you defend mistakes when you feel exposed.
The pattern isn't good or bad. It's just yours. You can't change what you can't see.
Why This Matters
You've done four decision-making reps: make the call, don't over-explain, follow up in 48 hours, own wrong calls.
Reps don't compound unless you see how they connect. Unless you notice: "Oh, I do this every time."
This week isn't about a new practice. It's about seeing the pattern in what you've already done. That's how you move from trying things to changing how you lead.
Rep
This Week's Practice
Review 10 decisions from the last two weeks. For each one, ask yourself:
How fast did I decide?
How did I communicate it?
Did I follow up? When?
If it was wrong, how fast did I own it?
What’s the pattern?
Your rep:
Review 10 decisions
Identify 1 pattern
Choose 1 behavior to change this month
What to Notice
Success looks like:
You name your pattern in one sentence
You know exactly what to practice next
Resistance looks like:
"That situation was different..." (looking for exceptions, not patterns)
Trying to fix everything at once (pick one)
It's working when:
You predict your behavior before it happens
You catch yourself mid-pattern and adjust
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1: Only reviewing big decisions. Small decisions reveal the same patterns. Review everything: meeting times, task assignments, quick calls.
Mistake #2: Not writing it down. Patterns are invisible until you externalize them. Write them down. You can't see what's only in your head.
Reflect
What pattern did I see that surprised me?
Where does this pattern help me?
Where does it hurt me?
What is the one behavior I’m practicing this month? If I changed just that, what would shift?
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Cristina Stensvaag is co-founder of LeaderReps and creator of One More Rep, a weekly practice-based leadership newsletter for people managers.