When
Everything Goes Wrong: The Art of Making Decisions That Matter by
Rami Beracha
Rami Beracha observes that we all have those moments when life forces us into impossible choices. You know the ones – where every option feels wrong, the stakes are sky-high, and everyone's looking at you to somehow pull the correct answer out of thin air Whether you're a CEO deciding on layoffs, a parent navigating a family crisis, or just someone facing a career crossroads, tough calls are the moments that really test who we are.
The thing about difficult decisions is that they rarely come with clear-cut answers If the choice were obvious, it wouldn't be tough Instead, you're usually weighing competing values, trying to balance short-term pain against long-term gain, or choosing between helping one group while
potentially hurting another It's messy, uncomfortable, and absolutely unavoidable if you want to accomplish anything meaningful.
What I've learned from watching leaders navigate these waters is that the best decision-makers don't try to find perfect solutions – they accept that an ideal doesn't exist. Instead, they focus on making choices they can live with and defend, even when things don't work out exactly as planned. They understand that analysis paralysis is often more dangerous than making an imperfect decision quickly
The emotional toll is often overlooked Making tough calls isn't just intellectually challenging –it's emotionally exhausting You lose sleep, second-guess yourself, and sometimes carry the weight of consequences for years. The healthiest leaders I know build support systems specifically for these moments They have trusted advisors who can offer perspective when they're too close to see clearly
Here's something counterintuitive: some of the best outcomes come from decisions that felt terrible at the time. That layoff saved the company. The relationship that ended before it got toxic. The opportunity you passed up because it didn't align with your values. Sometimes what feels like failure in the moment becomes the foundation for something better
The real skill isn't avoiding tough decisions – it's getting comfortable with discomfort. It's about learning to gather enough information to be confident without waiting for certainty that may never come It's accepting that leadership, whether in business or life, means occasionally being the person who has to make the call nobody else wants to make.
Because here's the truth: your ability to thrive doesn't depend on avoiding difficult situations. It depends on how well you navigate them when they inevitably show up