Turn On A Dime
Why Quick Decisions Win in Business and Life
In the fast-paced world of entertainment—whether you're a musician chasing that breakthrough moment, an audio professional building a studio, or a lighting designer advancing your career—the ability to make swift, confident decisions can mean the difference between seizing opportunities and watching them vanish. Yet increasingly, many professionals find themselves stuck in neutral—overthinking, overanalyzing, and ultimately undermining their own success.
The Pandemic Hangover We Can't Shake
When COVID-19 brought the entertainment industry to a grinding halt in 2020, uncertainty became our daily companion. Tour cancellations, venue closures, production shutdowns, album release delays—everything was in flux. Musicians watched their touring income evaporate overnight. In that environment, caution made sense. Holding off on equipment purchases, delaying career moves, postponing album releases, canceling recording sessions, putting business launches on hold—these weren't just prudent decisions, they were survival strategies.
But here's the problem: we're now years removed from those lockdowns, venues are packed, tours are running, and productions are thriving. Yet many professionals are still operating with a pandemic mindset, treating every decision as if we're still navigating those unprecedented times.
The psychological impact of prolonged uncertainty doesn't simply evaporate when circumstances improve. It creates habits—hesitation becomes our default setting, second-guessing becomes routine, and the phrase "let me think about it" becomes a professional mantra.
The Paralysis of Analysis
"Paralysis of analysis" isn't just a catchy phrase—it's a career killer. It happens when we convince ourselves that gathering just a little more information, considering one more option, or waiting for slightly better conditions will lead to a superior outcome. In reality, this endless deliberation often results in the worst outcome of all: doing nothing.
In the entertainment industry, this manifests in countless ways:
The artist who keeps refining songs in their home studio, convinced they need just a bit more polish before releasing, while their audience waits and competitors fill the void. The session musician who debates whether to invest in that new instrument or recording interface, missing out on gigs that require those exact capabilities.
The audio engineer who spends months researching the "perfect" console upgrade instead of investing in gear that would let them take jobs today. The lighting designer who delays launching their own company while perfecting their business plan, missing out on clients who need help now.
The independent musician who postpones booking studio time because they're waiting to write "just one more song" for the album, while momentum from their last release fades. The manager who endlessly analyzes potential record label offers instead of choosing a path forward, watching other artists on the roster get priority attention.
The venue owner who postpones necessary renovations waiting for "the right time," watching competitors attract the shows they should be booking. The music retailer who endlessly debates which product lines to add while customers find solutions elsewhere. The production company that studies emerging technologies so exhaustively they miss the wave of early adoption that builds competitive advantage.
Why Quick Decisions Often Beat "Perfect" Ones
Here's an uncomfortable truth: in many situations, a good decision made quickly beats a perfect decision made slowly. This isn't about being reckless or impulsive—it's about recognizing that speed itself has value.
Consider the touring production manager who needs to solve a technical problem before showtime. They don't have the luxury of lengthy deliberation. They assess the situation, draw on their experience, make a call, and execute. Or think of the session musician who needs to nail a take—they trust their instincts, commit to their interpretation, and deliver. This same decisiveness that serves us well under pressure can—and should—inform how we approach business and career decisions.
Quick decision-making creates momentum. When you commit to a direction, you start learning. You gather real-world data that no amount of pre-analysis could provide. You discover what works, what doesn't, and you adjust accordingly. Meanwhile, those still deliberating are learning nothing.
There's also a hidden cost to delayed decisions that rarely gets calculated: opportunity cost. Every day you spend deciding is a day you're not implementing, not building, not growing. In a competitive industry like entertainment production, your hesitation is someone else's opportunity.
The Myth of the Risk-Free Choice
Part of what keeps us stuck is the belief that if we just think long enough, we'll find the option with no downside. This is fantasy. Every meaningful decision involves tradeoffs and unknowns. Waiting for perfect clarity is waiting for something that will never arrive.
The successful professionals in our industry—whether musicians building sustainable careers, audio professionals growing their studios, or technicians advancing their craft—aren't necessarily making better decisions than everyone else. They're making decisions, period, and then making those decisions work through effort, creativity, and adaptability.
Building Your Quick-Decision Muscle
If you recognize yourself in these patterns, here's the good news: decision-making is a skill you can develop. Start small. Give yourself deadlines for minor decisions and stick to them. The choice of which vendor to use for cable purchases doesn't require a week of deliberation. Make it in an hour and move on.
Practice the 70% rule: if you have 70% of the information you think you need, that's usually enough to make a good decision. Waiting for 100% certainty often means watching opportunities pass by.
Learn to distinguish between reversible and irreversible decisions. Buying a new lighting fixture or guitar pedal? Reversible—you can sell it if it doesn't work out. Hiring a full-time employee or signing an exclusive management contract? Less reversible—take more time. Most business decisions are more reversible than we think.
The Real World Rewards Action
The entertainment industry moves fast. The festival booking that seems like it can wait until next week gets filled by someone who responded today. The producer looking for an artist to feature on a track moves on to someone more decisive. The client who's "still thinking about" your proposal ends up working with a competitor who moved decisively. The collaboration opportunity with another artist disappears because you took too long to commit. The gear that would have been perfect for your growing business gets discontinued while you're still comparing specs.
We've spent enough time in pandemic paralysis. The world has moved on, the industry has rebounded, and opportunities are abundant for those ready to seize them. The question isn't whether you can afford to make quick decisions—it's whether you can afford not to.
Turn On A Dime
In entertainment—whether on stage, in the studio, or behind the scenes—we pride ourselves on our ability to pivot when circumstances change, to solve problems on the fly, to make shows happen despite obstacles. It's time to bring that same agility to our business and career decisions.
The professionals who will thrive in the coming years won't necessarily be those who make perfect decisions—they'll be those who make good decisions quickly and then execute brilliantly. They'll be the ones who can turn on a dime.
The pandemic taught us many lessons. One of them should be that life is uncertain, conditions change, and perfect information never arrives. The other should be that hesitation has its own costs, and sometimes the best decision is simply to decide.
What decision have you been putting off? What opportunity are you overthinking? What move have you been waiting to make until conditions are "just right"?
The time is now. Turn on a dime.