The Decision Log: My Leadership Experiment (Plus a Free Template)

A while back, I was speaking with a CEO responsible for leading hundreds of team members, and he mentioned a practice he’d developed: keeping a decision log.

Every time he made a significant decision, he’d record what the decision was and how he expected it to turn out, and—crucially—how it actually turned out when he revisited it later.

He told me that, over time, he noticed a pattern. About a third of his decisions played out as expected. A third didn’t work as well as he’d hoped. And another third took an unexpected turn but still led to a positive outcome. From this, he was able to reflect on learnings and improve his decision-making.

I thought this was an amazing approach to self-awareness and leadership growth. So, this year, I’ve started my own experiment with keeping a decision log.

It’s nothing fancy—just a simple spreadsheet with a few key columns:

• Date

• Decision

• Rationale (Why I’m taking this decision)

• How I believe it will work out

• How can I give it the best chance?

• How did it work out? (for later review, with an ‘as at’ date)

To be honest, I’m both interested and a little nervous about what I’ll learn! But leadership requires growth — and growth requires reflection.

Why Reflection Matters for Leadership Growth

There’s plenty of research backing up the idea that reflection is a critical component of effective leadership. Studies have shown that reflective learning enhances decision-making, improves adaptability, and increases self-awareness—all essential qualities for leading well.

One study from Harvard Business School found that employees who spent 15 minutes reflecting at the end of the day on what they learned performed 23% better after just ten days compared to those who didn’t reflect (and who used those 15 minutes to get a bit more work done!). The act of pausing to process experiences turns fleeting moments into valuable insights.

For leaders, this matters even more. A study out of the US Naval College found that engaging in regular reflection enhances leadership behaviours and effectiveness within teams. The researchers discovered that individuals who practised daily reflection exhibited improved self-awareness and decision-making skills, leading to more effective leadership outcomes. This underscores the significant role that deliberate reflection plays in leadership development. In short, thoughtful leaders make better decisions over time.

“If I was (sic) to sum up the single biggest problem of senior leadership in the Information Age, it’s a lack of reflection. Solitude allows you to reflect while others are reacting. We need solitude to refocus on prospective decision-making, rather than just reacting to problems as they arise.”

- James Mattis, General (Ret)

(Side note - if you’re looking for an excellent book on the importance of solitude and reflection for leadership, check out ‘Lead Yourself First’ which I highlight in my Top 10 Reads of 2024 post.)

Seeing What’s Done vs. What’s Left to Do

I often think about a quote from Marie Curie, because it reflects an unfortunate tendency I, like many others, can fall into if I’m not careful - especially in terms of my own efforts:

“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.”

It’s a sentiment many leaders can relate to. There’s always the next challenge, the next decision, the next crisis to navigate. And while that forward drive is essential, there’s also a risk: if we never look back to acknowledge what we have done, we miss the full picture.

The decision log is, in some ways, a counterbalance to this tendency. It doesn’t just track mistakes or lessons learned—it also captures what worked, the times we made the right call, the moments when unexpected outcomes turned out better than we’d planned.

Leadership isn’t just about learning from failures; it’s about recognizing progress.

Celebrating the Wins, Learning from the Rest

I suspect one of the biggest benefits of this experiment won’t just be as a prompt for reflecting on specific decisions, but also as a tool for spotting patterns. Are there certain types of decisions - or the types of conditions under which they are made - where I have a better or worse run rate?

At the end of the year, I want to be able to look back and see growth—not just in my decisions, but in my ability to reflect, adjust, and keep learning.

So, if you’re interested, consider joining me in this experiment. To make it easier, I’ve created a fillable decision log you can download and use for yourself. Start tracking your decisions—not in a rigid, bureaucratic way, but as a leadership practice of curiosity and growth.

You never know - we might just discover some insights that change the way we lead. Download the free template and start tracking your decisions today!