Action Bias and the Hidden Cost of Always Moving

Debbie Fennell on February 4, 2026

In a recent December 23, 2025, post on LinkedIn, we highlighted a pattern many leaders feel but rarely articulate: action bias.

At the executive level, action bias rarely looks irresponsible. It often shows up as responsiveness, decisiveness, and urgency in the name of performance. Speed becomes the default setting because leaders feel pressure to reduce uncertainty, protect outcomes, and reassure the organization that things are under control. Additionally, some executives have a natural tendency for fast-paced environments. It “feels” more productive.

Over time, however, speed that is not anchored to strategy can quietly undermine the outcomes leaders are trying to protect.

What makes action bias particularly costly at the executive level is that it becomes embedded in systems. Decision cycles compress. Calendars fill. Response expectations tighten. Downstream leaders learn that speed is valued more than deliberation. The organization becomes efficient at moving, but less skilled at seeing.

The issue is not whether action is needed. It is whether speed is being used as a strategic advantage or as a cultural reflex. When pausing is interpreted as resistance, leaders stop asking better questions. When endurance is rewarded without regard for sustainability, we push past the warning signs, and burnout is the result. When teams are pushed to deliver quickly without clarity, rework increases, trust erodes, and risk rises.

A recent HBR article titled, Get Off the Transformation Treadmill, by Darrell Rigby and Zach First, in the January-February 2026 issue, candidly addresses the transformation treadmill and shares four actionable strategies for organizations to consider:

  1. Master Systems-Management
  2. Detect Emerging Realities Before Transformations Become the Only Options
  3. Increase Agility to Keep Problems Small
  4. Grow Value – Don’t Just Shift It from One Stakeholder Group to Another

Executive stewardship requires a different posture. It requires leaders to set a deliberate pace and normalize reflection as a strength. This is not about slowing everything down. It is about choosing when speed serves the mission and when it sabotages judgment. Mature leadership cultures create the space to think, assess, make informed decisions, and then act decisively.

At Tbird, we help leadership teams uncover these patterns even when they have become hardened into culture. Pausing is not the absence of leadership. It is one of its most responsible expressions of leadership.

Executive Reflection:
Where might intentionally slowing down improve decision quality, protect your leaders, and increase the long-term speed of execution?

Reference:  Rigby, D., & First, Z. (2026). Get off the transformation treadmill. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2026/01/get-off-the-transformation-treadmill

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