Making Decisions That Improve the Future Without Compromising the Present — Part 1: The Balance of Bold and Wise

If there’s one truth I’ve learned after 25 years of coaching leaders and walking alongside John Maxwell, it’s this: our

future success depends on today’s decisions — and our present peace depends on how we make them.

Leadership, at its core, is the daily discipline of deciding. Every morning, whether you lead a company, a family, or just yourself, you’re faced with a question: What is the primary focus — the main event — of my day?

From that moment, your mindset sets your motion. That’s where decision-making begins.

Today we are looking at:

• Three Questions of Decision Making (3 R’s - Required, Return, Reward)

• The Risk in Decision Making (Reasonable to Reckless)

• The Mindset for Balanced Decisions

• The Principles that Guard Great Decision-Making

• Freedom in the Risk

The Three Questions of Decision Making

When I coach leaders through decision-making frameworks, I often encourage them to ask three questions every day:

1. What is required of me? This is about stewardship — taking ownership of the responsibilities already in your circle of control. If you don’t define what’s required, someone else will.

2. What gives me the greatest return? Not every task has an equal impact. Great leaders focus on what delivers the most meaningful return on their investment — whether that’s time, energy, money, or influence.

3. What is rewarding to me? When your actions connect to purpose and joy, you stay motivated through challenges. Reward fuels perseverance.

Decisions that honor all three questions create balance between today’s demands and tomorrow’s opportunities.

Risk: The Line Between Reasonable and Reckless

Consider the challenging question - When Is Risk Taking Too Risky reminds us that most organizations evolve through three stages — Risk Takers, Caretakers, and Undertakers.

• Risk Takers boldly plan for the future.

• Caretakers cautiously manage the present.

• Undertakers quietly relive the past.

As leaders, we must constantly decide which category we’re operating from. A risk taker without strategy becomes reckless, while a caretaker without vision becomes stagnant.

The key question to consider — Am I thinking reasonably or recklessly? Reasonable risk is:

• Built on strategy, not just desire.

• Plays to your strengths.

• Leaves a margin for error.

• Extends from your past successes.

Reckless risk, on the other hand, is impulsive — driven by ego or fear — and often leads to burnout or regret.

In decision-making, courage and calculation must walk hand in hand. The best leaders take risks that stretch them, not break them.

The Mindset for Balanced Decisions

At Leadership Harbor, we guide people to anchor decisions in four priorities: Health, Family, Faith, and Generosity.

Each one acts as a compass point.

• Health reminds us that sustainability matters — if you lose your well-being, no future is worth it.

• Family keeps us grounded in relationships that matter most.

• Faith gives purpose to the risk.

• Generosity keeps success from becoming selfish.

When we let these values shape our decisions, we stop chasing short-term wins and start building long-term legacy.

The Principles that Guard Great Decision-Making

Now, let’s add the three principles that protect your decision-making process — Control, Opportunity, and Elitism.

1. Control (The Circle of Control) You can’t control everything, but you can always control your attitude, preparation, and effort. When uncertainty hits, focus on what’s in your circle — not what’s outside of it.

2. Opportunity Every choice carries a chance. Ask: What change offers the experience that moves me forward in alignment with my purpose? Risk without opportunity is recklessness. Opportunity without readiness is waste.

3. Elitism (Defined by You) This isn’t arrogance — it’s excellence. It means you play by your rules, aligned with your values. It’s the personal standard that defines your leadership integrity.

Freedom in the Risk

I do like William Arthur Ward’s timeless reminder: 

“Only the person who risks is free.”

That’s true in leadership and in life. The absence of risk might feel safe, but it also eliminates growth.  You can have growth and you can have safety, but you can’t have both at the same time.  The goal isn’t to remove risk — it’s to redeem it.

Every great decision blends wisdom and courage, focus and flexibility. It’s about leading yourself so well today that your tomorrow thanks you — without your today resenting you.

In Part 2, we’ll unpack how to apply this mindset — using practical daily strategies for making decisions that honor both your present peace and your future potential.