Decision Making Under Pressure: How Neuroscience Helps Leaders Be More Assertive

In an increasingly dynamic corporate landscape, leaders are constantly faced with the need to make swift and decisive decisions, often with incomplete information and under high levels of stress. This reality is supported by data from the DDI's Global Leadership Forecast 2025, which reveals that 71% of leaders experience a significant increase in stress after taking on their roles, and 54% express concern about the risk of burnout.

Studies from sources like WifiTalents and ZipDo Education link leader burnout to a potential increase of up to 30% in work errors, directly impacting productivity and innovation capacity. Given this, finding methods for making sound decisions under pressure without compromising well-being or the quality of choices has become a strategic priority.

The Leader's Brain Under Pressure: A Neuroscience Perspective

Neuroscience offers valuable insights into what happens in the brain when a leader is under stress. In high-pressure situations, the amygdala – responsible for rapid emotional responses – is activated, triggering "fight or flight" responses. This process, known as "amygdala hijacking," can reduce activity in the prefrontal cortex, the region associated with logic, planning, and empathy. The result is impulsive decisions, limited focus on immediate solutions, and reduced strategic depth.

Conversely, the Cognitive Resource Theory suggests that experience and intelligence can act as a protective shield. Experienced leaders, for example, can mitigate the detrimental effects of stress on rationality, maintaining greater clarity of thought.

Neuroscience-based techniques for effective decision-making

The good news is that there are neuroscience-based techniques that can improve decision-making in critical moments.

1. Mindfulness and conscious breathing: NeuroLeadership Institute research demonstrates that simple mindfulness and conscious breathing practices can reduce amygdala emotional activation, restoring control to the prefrontal cortex. This results in leaders who are calmer, more rational, and better equipped for strategic decision-making.
2. Predefined decision structures: The adoption of frameworks like Decision trees, OODA loop Observe, Guide, Decide, Act pre-mortem Prioritization matrices accelerate decision-making, even with incomplete data. In corporate testing, using the OODA loop has shown an improvement of up to 25% in crisis response efficiency, while prioritization matrices can reduce rework caused by impulsive decisions by approximately 30%.
3. Simulations and "war games": Practicing exercises and simulating crisis scenarios prepare the brain to react with more agility and less emotionality. Executives who participate in these dynamics report more structured responses in real-pressure situations.
4. Expanding perspectives before the final decision: To avoid "tunnel vision," techniques like rapid "second mentoring," strategic questioning (such as "what if we had unlimited resources?"), or adopting a competitor's perspective can broaden one's field of vision and prevent hasty decisions.
5. Development of emotional intelligence and self-awareness: Developing self-control, empathy, and emotional regulation is fundamental for more balanced leadership. Institutions like Harvard, MIT, and companies like Google demonstrate that programs strengthening emotional intelligence increase problem-solving ability under pressure by up to 30%.

Practical Tips from Madalena Feliciano

Madalena Feliciano, a neurostrategy specialist, emphasizes the importance of mental management during crises. "In stressful situations, the quality of a choice isn't just determined by what we know, but how we manage our minds," she notes.

She suggests simple, yet effective, routines for leaders at any level.

• 4x4 breathing before a critical decision: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and repeat. A quick technique for restoring mental clarity.
• Deciding with "sufficient data": Avoid paralysis by the constant pursuit of perfect information. Define a prior criterion for concluding when sufficient basis exists to act.
• Post-Decision Reflective Journal: Quickly write about how you felt, what worked, and what didn't. This practice reinforces learning and prepares your brain for future choices.
• Active Trust Network Maintaining a small group of peers or mentors ready to act as quick advisors makes all the difference in high-risk decisions.

"Neuroscience gives us the map, and self-knowledge is what knows how to use that GPS when the engine is overloaded," concludes Madalena Feliciano.

Conclusion: Strategic decision-making under pressure requires a particular mindset and structure.

In 2025, it becomes clear that leading under pressure isn't just about "grasping the bull by the horns," but about structuring the internal and external environment to allow for well-grounded decisions, even during crises. Mindfulness, practical frameworks, emotional intelligence, and simulations become powerful allies in this process.

As Madalena Feliciano highlights, "It's not about eliminating pressure, but being prepared to face it with clarity, balance, and strategy." The question becomes: which technique will be the first applied in your leadership to navigate this complex scenario?