Most CEOs don’t realize what’s actually slowing them down.
They assume it’s a lack of data, unclear strategy, or market conditions. So they wait. They gather more information. They refine the plan.
But the real issue is usually simpler. They’re waiting too long to decide.
Tom Ragen didn’t always think this way. Early in his career, his instinct was to be thorough. Understand everything. Analyze every angle. Make sure the decision was right before moving forward.
It’s a logical approach. It also becomes a liability as you scale.
At some point, the business demands a different standard. As Tom put it, “You can’t always have all the information. Roughly 80% is enough to make the call.” That realization didn’t come from theory. It came from being in situations where waiting simply wasn’t an option.
The Moment Everything Changes
That shift tends to happen under pressure.
Tom stepped into environments where decisions had to be made quickly, often with incomplete data. There wasn’t time to perfect the analysis. There was only time to act.
“I used to want to know everything,” he said. “But when you’re in it, you learn quickly that you don’t have that luxury.”
This is where many CEOs struggle.
They know speed matters, but they hesitate because they don’t feel ready. The data isn’t complete. The risks aren’t fully understood. The outcome isn’t guaranteed.
So they wait.
What they don’t realize is that waiting doesn’t remove risk. It just delays progress.
Why 80% Is Enough
Tom’s approach reframes the entire decision-making process.
Instead of aiming for certainty, he focuses on momentum. “You make the best decision you can with what you have,” he said, “and then you adjust.”
That second part matters more than the first.
The goal isn’t to be right the first time. The goal is to move quickly enough that you can learn, refine, and improve. Without that cycle, you’re not really making progress—you’re just thinking about it.
In practice, this looks like:
- Making decisions before you feel completely ready
- Accepting that some inputs will be missing
- Building feedback loops so you can course-correct quickly
When CEOs wait for perfect information, they don’t just slow down. They disconnect themselves from real-world feedback. And that’s where growth stalls.
The Hidden Cost of Delaying Decisions
It’s easy to justify waiting. It feels responsible. It feels disciplined.
But over time, it creates drag across the organization.
Teams lose momentum. Opportunities slip. Competitors move faster. And internally, people begin to hesitate as well, waiting for direction instead of taking initiative.
Tom summarized it more bluntly: “Stop trying to postpone perfection. Get after it. Make things better each day.”
That mindset doesn’t just accelerate decisions. It changes how the entire company operates.
When Leadership Becomes the Constraint
As companies grow, another issue begins to surface.
Everything still routes through the CEO.
Tom described this clearly. “It’s a bad sign when everyone in the room is looking at me to solve the problem.”
Early on, that’s expected. The founder knows the product, the market, and the customer better than anyone else. But as the company scales, that same dynamic becomes a bottleneck.
There’s only so much one person can handle.
Tom shifted his approach by focusing less on solving problems himself and more on building people who could solve them. “One person can only do so much,” he said. “But if you can coach others to think and make decisions, now you’re multiplying your impact.”
That transition, from doer to multiplier, is one of the hardest for CEOs to make. It requires letting go of control and trusting others to step in.
The Power of Asking Instead of Telling
One of the ways Tom enables that shift is through how he communicates.
His background in teaching shows up here. Rather than defaulting to giving answers, he leans into asking better questions.
“You can’t just tell people what to do and expect it to stick,” he explained. “You have to ask questions, pull ideas out of them, and get them involved.”
That approach does more than improve engagement. It builds capability across the team.
It also requires a level of discipline that many leaders underestimate. Tom is intentional about not speaking first in meetings. “If you go first every time, you’re going to influence the room too early.”
It’s a subtle point, but an important one. When the CEO speaks first, the conversation narrows. When the CEO listens first, it expands.
Over time, that difference compounds.
Culture Becomes Visible During Change
Tom’s perspective becomes even more relevant in moments of transition, particularly during mergers or integrations.
Instead of focusing immediately on systems or structure, he starts with culture. “You have to respect the culture you’re bringing in,” he said. “You can’t just assume yours is better.”
That mindset shifts the conversation.
Rather than forcing alignment, he looks for areas where the existing culture already supports the broader goals. He asks, “How does your culture help us get where we want to go?”
That question creates alignment without erasing identity.
It also helps avoid a common mistake:
- Assuming new leadership automatically means better practices
- Overwriting processes before understanding why they existed
- Losing key strengths in the name of standardization
By starting with respect, he builds trust. And trust accelerates everything else.
Where AI Actually Creates Value
When the conversation turned to AI, Tom didn’t overcomplicate it.
He’s not chasing transformation for the sake of it. He’s looking for practical ways to remove friction.
“We’re asking where it can make us more efficient,” he said.
Internally, that means focusing on areas that are repetitive, data-heavy, or time-consuming. Things like:
- Inventory tracking and visibility
- Manual reporting processes
- Operational workflows that slow teams down
The goal is straightforward. Free up time so people can focus on higher-value work.
On the customer side, his thinking is just as measured. AI isn’t about replacing the experience. It’s about improving it. “If we can help customers make decisions faster and more confidently,” he said, “that’s where it adds value.”
That distinction matters.
Too many companies jump to automation before understanding the outcome they’re trying to improve. Tom’s approach keeps the focus on results, not tools.
Bringing It All Together
When you step back, the throughline is clear.
Tom didn’t scale by having perfect information or flawless execution. He scaled by changing how he approaches decisions, people, and progress.
He learned to move before he felt ready. He built a team that could operate without constant oversight. He created space for better thinking by asking questions instead of giving answers.
And he applied new tools like AI in a way that supports the business, rather than distracting from it.
Those shifts are what allow a company to grow.
What This Means for You
If you’re feeling stuck, it’s worth asking a different set of questions.
Not about strategy or structure, but about how you’re operating day to day.
- Are you waiting for more information than you actually need?
- Are decisions flowing through you that should be owned by someone else?
- Are you creating space for your team to think, or filling it too quickly?
In most cases, the issue isn’t capability. It’s hesitation.
You likely already have enough to move forward.
The question is whether you will.
I’m Glenn Gow. I coach CEOs. If you’re waiting for perfect information, you’re already behind. Make the call, learn from it, and keep moving.
Listen to the full episode of The Scaling CEO podcast here.
