{"id":6549,"date":"2026-09-01T21:42:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T21:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/markpattisonnfl.com\/?p=6549"},"modified":"2026-09-01T21:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T21:42:23","slug":"how-to-make-better-decisions-under-pressure-lessons-from-elite-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markpattisonnfl.com\/how-to-make-better-decisions-under-pressure-lessons-from-elite-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Better Decisions Under Pressure: Lessons from Elite Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Pattison Pressure changes everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the stakes are high, time is limited, people are watching, and the consequences of a decision are significant, even experienced leaders can make poor choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best leaders aren’t necessarily the people who never feel pressure. They are the people who have learned how to <\/span>think clearly while under pressure<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve experienced pressure in very different environments playing in the NFL, building businesses, working in sports media and standing on some of the world’s highest mountains. While the circumstances are dramatically different, one lesson has remained consistent:<\/span><\/p>\n

You don’t rise to the level of your intentions. You fall back on the preparation, habits and decision making processes you’ve developed before the pressure arrives.<\/b><\/p>\n

Whether you’re leading an NFL team, running a company, managing a crisis or making an important personal decision, the ability to make good decisions under pressure can be the difference between moving forward and getting stuck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Pressure Makes Decision Making Difficult<\/b><\/h2>\n

Under pressure, our brains naturally want to simplify complicated situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

We can become reactive. We focus on the immediate problem instead of the larger objective. We may make decisions based on fear, emotion, ego or incomplete information.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s why elite leaders develop systems for making decisions <\/span>before<\/b> they find themselves in difficult situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

They understand that pressure is inevitable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being unprepared for pressure isn’t.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Slow Down Before You Speed Up<\/b><\/h2>\n

One of the most valuable leadership skills is knowing when to pause.<\/span><\/p>\n

That doesn’t mean becoming indecisive.<\/span><\/p>\n

It means creating enough space to separate the <\/span>facts from the emotion<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When pressure hits, ask:<\/span><\/p>\n