How Leaders Use the Decision Matrix to Strengthen Decisions
In leadership, the hardest decisions aren’t about data — they’re about trade-offs. I use this framework with biotech executives to clarify what truly drives success, expose competing priorities, and build decisions that hold up under executive and board scrutiny.
You can use the calculator below to map your own decision.
And if you’d like to see how I guide leaders through this process in real time, try the Decision Matrix GPT — a custom ChatGPT tool that acts like a built-in coach.
Free for now · No confidential data required.
Instructions
1. How does each of your criteria contribute to your decision? Keep in mind organizational context and stakeholder perspectives.
2. On a scale of 1 to 5, how does each of your potential solutions rate on each of your criteria?
Note: for Costs and Risks and Issues, higher scores mean more favorable (e.g., low cost is good, so it gets a high score).
3. How do your solutions compare? It’s important to understand how different weightings and ratings change your analysis.
Calculator
Be sure your weightings and ratings reflect what matters to the person making the decision.