The 90th Percentile: An Unconventional Leadership Podcast
Published: October 8, 2025
What separates the best decision-makers from the rest? In this episode, Joe Folkman shares research on nearly 16,000 leaders to reveal seven key qualities that enable effective decision-making. Discover why information overload slows decisions down, how to balance speed with quality, and the surprising link between decision-making effectiveness and employee engagement. If you’re struggling with analysis paralysis or looking to empower better decisions throughout your organization, this episode offers practical, research-backed insights you can apply immediately.
Key Point
Decision-making is harder today due to information overload, uncertainty, and stakeholder complexity.
Effective decision-makers create highly engaged teams—the best leaders scored 86th percentile in effectiveness and their teams 77th in engagement.
The top decision-makers consistently demonstrate seven key behaviors, including anticipating problems, acting quickly, focusing on priorities, balancing risk, and building trust.
Trust is the foundation that accelerates decision speed and quality by reducing friction and bureaucracy.
Great leaders build decision-making cultures, empowering people at every level to act with clarity, confidence, and alignment.
Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:45 — 21.5MB)
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Podcast — 2025