Connector of Talent and Success 💼 | Empowering Businesses to Thrive through People | Culture Growth Strategist | Coach | Writer | HR leader | #1 LinkedIn Belgium | Top #150 LinkedIn 🌍

Who I help: Ambitious introverts and people-first companies

Problems: Visibility without burnout, quiet leadership, culture that enables deep work

Outcomes: Promotions, role transitions, retention, high-trust cultures

STRATEGIC HR LEADER AND COACH WITH HANDS-ON APPROACH AIMING FOR THE BEST EMPLOYEE/BUSINESS EXPERIENCE - INTROVERT ADVOCATE

International HR Executive passionate about the link between employee experience and business dynamics. Combining a strong focus on strategic thinking and planning with a structured and factual hands-on approach. A positive well connected team coach with a natural sense of empowering team members in a spirit of challenge, learning and mutual recognition. Sound decision making capabilities based on critical reflections within companies focusing on innovation, change, digital transformation and learning.

A. Group HR Director Alter Pharma (200 FTE - BE/IRL/US) – private equity backed firm defining & implementing HR strategy (from strategy to operations) including definition of mission/vision/strategy & values.
B. Global HR Business Partner BU Kerley international/Tessenderlo Group (+/-300 employees - 11 countries) developing/transforming key HR processes (talent resource planning, talent acquisition, performance management, competency management, learning, reward,..) - HR project lead new factory Rouen, France. 
C. Global HR Executive SWIFT (+/- 3.000 employees in +25 countries) transforming/coaching business and HR into new ways of (digital) working/thinking to improve the employee and business experience 
D. Global Head of Reward Tessenderlo Group (+/- 5.000 employees in +25 countries) - strategic development/transformation reward strategy
E. Development new holistic performance management framework for Tessenderlo Group, including full implementation recognition stream.
F. HR Project Manager : move of the Chiquita EME Headquarters from Belgium to Switzerland (social plan negotiations, c&b setup, recruitment, mobility, new policy/process design,...)

Professional coaching certification Better Minds at Work               2018 - 2019
Centre for Creative Leadership - senior leadership program           Q1-2 2018
Management Development Programme Vlerick (17 days)		  2010 - 2011
Strategic Compensation & Benefits Management, Vlerick 		  2007      
Master degree in Law&Taxation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven    1997 - 1998

Steven Claes

Every setback felt like proof I was too quiet to succeed.
Every win felt like luck.

At 32, my boss pulled me aside.
“You're too quiet for executive leadership.”

I replayed that conversation for months.
Every meeting I stayed quiet.
Every presentation I let others dominate.
Every networking event I left early.

The feedback stung because I believed it.

The lateral moves? I blamed myself for not being louder.
The passed-over promotions? Thought I didn’t sell myself enough.
The struggling projects? Maybe I was too introverted to lead.

I carried those stories for years.
Like stones in my pocket.
Getting heavier with each new challenge.

Then something shifted.

The promotions I didn’t get kept me learning.
Now I lead with knowledge, not just ambition.

The struggling projects taught me to listen for what wasn’t being said.
That skill transformed every team I touched.

What introverts do differently with setbacks:
 • We don’t bounce back. We build back.
 • We don’t forget feedback. We mine it for truth.
 • We don’t perform resilience. We develop it quietly.

What others saw as mistakes:
 → Avoided office politics (built trust through work)
 → Skipped self-promotion (let results speak louder)
 → Stayed in roles too long (mastered depth)
 → Took time to process (while others rushed to respond)

Today I’m CHRO.
Still quiet.
Those “setbacks” were my education.

Every introvert I’ve hired has a similar story.
Told they were too quiet.
Too thoughtful.
Too slow.

Now they’re running divisions.
Transforming cultures.
Leading quietly.

Your setbacks aren’t failures.
They’re data points.
Your quiet processing isn’t weakness.
It’s how you turn feedback into fuel.

That boss who said I was too quiet?
He was half right.
I was quiet.
But I was building.

💬 What feedback once hurt but later helped you grow?

♻️ Repost if you've been underestimated for being quiet
📩 Free Weekly career strategies for Ambitious Introverts -> hit the newsletter button under my profile

Some introverts are prisoners of their wiring.
Others are architects of their growth.

I’ve coached enough quiet leaders to see the split happen in real time:

The stuck ones hold on to: "I'm wired this way. I can't change."
The ones who thrive? They know wiring is where you begin, not where you end.

I worked with a senior manager who kept saying:
"I was raised to stay quiet and not make waves."

Fifteen years. That one sentence kept her invisible.
Passed over for promotions.
Watching louder colleagues move ahead.

And yet. In those same fifteen years, she'd:

-Led 3 projects that saved millions
-Built relationships nobody else could unlock
-Spotted problems that stayed invisible to everyone around her

Her quiet upbringing gave her the ability to observe. 
Deep listening became strategy. 
Her stillness earned trust.

The prison wasn't her introversion.
The prison was her story about it.

Evolution for introverts isn't about becoming extroverted.
It's about updating your story.

Instead of avoiding tough conversations 
→ Use email to drive decisions

Instead of dreading all meetings 
→ Own your 1-on-1s where depth wins

Instead of staying silent 
→ Put your thoughts on paper first, then speak

That senior manager I mentioned?
She stopped apologizing for how she works.
Started using her strengths.
Promoted six months later.

Same person. Different story.

Here's what this work taught me:

Your nature doesn't need fixing. 
Your story about it does.

Your past shaped you. 
Your choices reshape your future.

Your quiet traits aren't a limitation. They're data.

Stop waiting for permission to evolve.
Start choosing which parts of your wiring serve you.

Which story kept you quiet this week?

♻️ Share this with introverts ready to rewrite their story

📩 Follow me (Steven Claes) for introvert career strategies

Stop trying to fix introverts.

In 20 years as an HR leader, I've seen companies burn millions trying to turn quiet leaders into loud ones.

It doesn't work. And it pushes your best people out the door.

Swipe through for what introverts need vs. what people think we need.

💾 Save/share this before your next 1:1. 

P.S. What would you add to this list?

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #hr, #culture, #strategy, #leadership, and #management

What Workplaces Think Introverts Need vs What We Need

omnia khfagy

They told me to fix my introversion. 
I fixed my environment instead.

We're introverts. We're not broken, just wired differently.

I spent 20 years as a CHRO watching the same pattern play out. 
The loudest voices got heard while the deepest thinkers got ignored. 

Quick reactions got rewarded, and thoughtful strategies got buried under the noise.

That's when I realized something.

We don't need to compete on volume. No, we compete on depth.

We build fewer bonds but stronger connections. 
Not because we can't connect widely, but because we choose connection wisely. 

While others drain themselves chasing validation, we recharge in stillness. 
While they mistake noise for progress, we find power in pause.

This isn't weakness. It's strategy.

We're not hiding or afraid. 
We're protecting our energy for what actually matters.

The research backs what we've always known: 

• Introverted leaders see 40% higher team retention because we listen more than we talk 
• We outperform in complex problem-solving by 74% because we think before we act 
• Our deep work drives 3x more innovation because we focus on substance over speed

Depth beats width. Every time.

What I need you to understand:

➡️ Your need for constant stimulation isn't our problem. 
➡️ Your discomfort with silence isn't our emergency. 
➡️ And your definition of success isn't our blueprint.

If we let you in, you've earned it. 

Not through persistence or pressure, 
but through respect. 
Through substance. 
Through understanding that our boundaries aren't barriers, they're filters.

➡️ We're not antisocial, we're selectively social. 
➡️ We're not slow, we're thorough. 
➡️ We're not cold, we're careful.

In a world drowning in noise, that's not a limitation.

That's an advantage.

Stop trying to fix us. We were never broken.

What boundary have you set recently that protected your energy?

♻️ Share if you're proudly wired differently 
📩 Follow Steven Claes for more introvert truth

Research reveals the introvert paradox: 
More productive. Lower performance ratings. 

A 2024 study by SOAS University of London found: 
"Introverts are more productive despite displaying lower job performance than extroverts." 

I've watched this disconnect destroy careers. 

As a CHRO for 20 years, I saw the pattern repeat itself over and over again. 
Claire outperformed every metric. 
Yet her evaluation said "lacks presence." 

Thomas designed the entire system architecture. 
His review noted "could be more vocal in meetings." 

The quiet frustration builds. 
The talent gets overlooked. 

The problem isn't your output. 
It's the visibility of your output. 

Introverts lose in three predictable scenarios: 

1. The visibility trap 
Your deep work happens in silence. 
Your contributions lack witnesses. 
Your impact goes unrecognized. 

2. The documentation gap 
Your wins stay in your head. 
Your progress lacks a paper trail. 
Your patterns remain invisible. 

3. The credit vacuum 
Your ideas travel. 
Your name gets left behind. 
Your influence goes unmeasured. 

But smart introverts don't try to become extroverts. 
They create systems to show their natural strengths. 

Four systems that actually work: 
1. Create your visibility rhythm 

→ Monday: Share your weekly focus (3 bullet points) 
→ Friday: Send a 5-minute wins report to stakeholders 
→ Monthly: Connect your work to company priorities 

2. Build your evidence file 

→ Capture metrics from your deep work sessions 
→ Save positive feedback verbatim 
→ Track resources saved through your solutions 

3. Set deep work boundaries 

→ Block 90-minute uninterrupted focus blocks 
→ Create canned responses for interruptions 
→ Set "office hours" for questions/collaboration 

4. Use strategic presence 

→ Speak once early in every meeting 
→ Send one thoughtful follow-up after discussions 
→ Ask one question that shows your listening depth 

When I coached Sarah, an introverted finance director, she started sending a weekly "impact email" every Friday at 4pm. 
Five bullet points. 
Three minutes to write. 

Her boss forwarded it to the C-suite every single week. 
She went from "too quiet" to "indispensable strategic partner" in six months. 

The only thing that changed? 
Her system, not her personality. 

Your introversion isn't the problem. 
Your strategic approach is the solution. 

Want to advance without exhaustion? 

Get the exact templates, scripts, and systems that helped thousands of introverts without burning out in the free A+ Introvert Newsletter (link in featured section). 

💾 Save this for when your impact feels invisible.

🔁 Repost if you believe quiet professionals deserve loud recognition.

Introverts don't need fixing.
Your workplace culture does.

I spent 20 years watching companies try to "fix" introverts.

Presentation skills workshops.
Open offices.
Loud happy hours.

Meanwhile, they ignored the real problems:
• Meetings that reward whoever talks most
• Brainstorms that silence deep thinkers
• "Collaboration" that means constant interruption

At 32, a VP told me:
"You need to speak up more. This quiet thing is career suicide."

I tried to be louder.
Until I realized: the mold was broken, not me.

Today I'm CHRO.
Still quiet. Still succeeding.
Because I stopped fixing myself and started fixing the system.

👇 This carousel breaks down what actually works.

♻️ Share if you believe quiet leadership deserves more respect and save for later.

Introverts Don't Need Fixing (Your Workplace Culture Does)

I thought I was too quiet to lead.
Turns out, I was just introverted.

These 10 TED Talks helped me stop overthinking,
start showing up, and build a career on my terms:

Skip the Small Talk by Kalina Silverman
https://lnkd.in/dDJhrm_U
→ Permission to skip surface-level conversations

The Art of Being Yourself by Caroline McHugh
https://lnkd.in/dvqjsPzP
→ Stop performing. Start being.

The Secret Shame of Introverts by Monica Parkin
https://lnkd.in/ddgjTnk5
→ Why your quiet nature isn't a weakness

The Mind Behind Linux by Linus Torvalds
https://lnkd.in/dgnNDY-C
→ Proof that introverts build world-changing things

Stop Screwing Yourself Over by Mel Robbins
https://lnkd.in/dsVzu2MJ
→ The 5-second rule that bypasses overthinking

Your Body Language Shapes You by Amy Cuddy
https://lnkd.in/dayBXPnF
→ Power poses for when confidence feels fake

My Year of Saying Yes by Shonda Rhimes
https://lnkd.in/dUsR6Jxz
→ An introvert's guide to selective courage

Who Are You, Really? by Brian Little
https://lnkd.in/dF6Dp4Ks
→ Why acting out of character serves your goals

The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown
https://lnkd.in/dnVNdWnR
→ Leading with authenticity, not armor

The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain
https://lnkd.in/drHJYhyD
→ The talk that started a quiet revolution

After 20 years as CHRO, I know this:
Your quiet leadership style isn't the problem.
The world just hasn't caught up yet.

These talks taught me to stop apologizing for thinking before speaking.
To stop forcing extroversion.
To start leading from my strengths.

💾 Save this for later, and repost it to spread some value to your network.

📩 Follow Steven Claes for introvert career strategies that keep you authentic.

54% of employees are quietly breaking down.
You won’t see it until it’s too late.

Your best people aren’t quitting.
They’re not burning out.
They’re breaking. In silence.

And your quietest ones?
They’re drowning.

👉 Swipe to spot the signs before they disappear.

💾 Save this to revisit the warning signs.

♻️ Share it to support someone who's quietly cracking.

Warning Signs Everyone Misses (Means breaking)

They told us to "speak up more."
Turns out silence was our strategy.

As a CHRO who spent 20 years being called "too quiet," I've lived these traits. 

These are not personality quirks.
They're high-performance systems.

5 Weird Traits That Actually Drive Introvert High Performance:

1. Staying silent in meetings
↳ Builds strategic thinking muscle
↳ Catches critical details others miss
↳ Preserves mental energy for decisions that matter
↳ Creates space for deeper analysis

2. Preferring solo lunch breaks 
↳ Prevents decision fatigue before afternoon meetings
↳ Recharges cognitive batteries
↳ Maintains peak performance levels
↳ Protects creative thinking time

3. Pausing before responding 
↳ Delivers thoughtful responses instead of impulsive reactions
↳ Prevents costly communication mistakes
↳ Signals executive presence naturally
↳ Builds trust through consistency

4. Reviewing work multiple times 
↳ Catches errors before they compound
↳ Creates visible excellence standards
↳ Builds reputation for reliability
↳ Eliminates rework downstream

5. Requiring quiet time daily 
↳ Sparks breakthrough solutions
↳ Processes complex problems effectively
↳ Maintains competitive edge
↳ Protects sustainable performance

The brutal truth?

What they called weaknesses were actually our operating system. 

And once you own that system instead of apologizing for it, everything shifts.

Because here's what most companies miss: introverts are not broken. Extroverts don't need fixing. 

They're different processors who need different conditions.
Give them those conditions and watch what happens.

📩 Get weekly insights via the A+ Introvert Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

♻️ Share this for every introvert who's been misunderstood

Overthinking costs you more than you realize.

Not in time.
In opportunities you never take.

Introverts know this trap better than anyone. Analysis becomes avoidance.

Five ways to close that gap:

1. The 5-Second Rule

Mel Robbins nailed it. You have an instinct to move? Count down 5-4-3-2-1 and go.

Your brain will talk you out of it otherwise.
That window closes fast. Five seconds. Use them.

———

2. The Two-Minute Rule

Takes less than two minutes? Do it now.
Don't add it to a list. Don't schedule it. Don't think about it.

David Allen's point: tracking a small task takes longer than finishing it.
Stop managing. Start finishing.

———

3. Brain Dump Before You Decide

Too much noise in your head? Set a timer for ten minutes. Write it all down.
No filter. No structure. Just out.

Once it's on paper, patterns appear. Priorities get clear.
You can't organize chaos while you're drowning in it.

———

4. Externalize the Problem

Stop saying "I'm an overthinker."
Say "Overthinking is here again."

See the difference? You're not the problem. The thought pattern is.
You're not the storm. You're the one watching it pass through.

———

5. The "If-Then" Plan

Vague intentions don't work. Automatic actions do.

Try this:
"If it's 7am, then I write for 20 minutes."
"If I feel resistance, then I count 5-4-3-2-1 and start."

Peter Gollwitzer's research backs this. It doubles your success rate.
Pre-decide so you don't have to re-decide every time.

———

The truth more introverts need to hear:
Knowing what to do means nothing if you don't do it.

Your move.

♻️ Share this with someone who needs it.
👤 Follow me (Steven Claes) for more on ambitious introverts

A 23-year-old intern dismantled my entire hiring strategy with one question:

"But what if they're not comfortable talking about themselves?"

She was talking about introverts in interviews.

I'd been screening out brilliance for 5 years and had no idea.

I used to defend every view.
Debate every point.
Need to be right.

But that one quiet question changed everything.

It taught me something 10 years as CHRO hadn't:

Wisdom isn't about having the best answers.
It's about hearing the questions you never thought to ask.

Now when someone speaks, whether it's my CEO or my nephew, I do something different.

I pause.

Not to plan my response.
But to understand their world.

The 3-Question Framework I Use to Listen Deeper

1. What am I defending?
Before responding, name the ego or assumption you're protecting.
Then let it go.

2. What's their 10%?
Even if you disagree with 90%, find the 10% that's true.
There's always something. Start there.

3. What would I think if I were them?
Not with your experience. With theirs.
Not with your context. With theirs.
This is where breakthroughs live.

This shift changed how I lead:

→ I stopped mistaking volume for value
→ Started finding insight in silence
→ Learned that understanding > being understood

The data backs it up:

Teams with psychological safety where every voice matters are:

✔️ 76% more likely to engage
✔️ 50% more productive
✔️ 27% less likely to leave their jobs

But we still reward:

❌ Quick answers over thoughtful questions
❌ Confident assertions over curious pauses
❌ Debate winners over bridge builders

Your quietest team member isn't checked out.
They're checking angles you haven't considered.

That junior employee questioning your process?
Might be your next breakthrough.

Growth doesn't come from adding more of what you already know.
It comes from seeing what you've been blind to.

Perspective isn't just power.
It's the only path to wisdom that matters.

Try these 3 questions in your next meeting. Watch what shifts.

And tell me this:

💬 When did listening to someone completely different from you change everything?

♻️ Share this if you believe the quietest voices often hold the deepest insights

I stopped pretending to be an extrovert.
My career exploded.

Because showing up everywhere wasn't commitment. 
It was fear wearing a name tag.

The truth?
You don't advance by being everywhere.
You advance by managing yourself.

What drains introverts in leadership
and what drives career growth instead 👇

1. Performing extroversion kills energy
Self-management creates sustainability.
→ Forcing constant visibility? You burn out.
→ Strategic presence? You grow faster.

2. Saying yes to everything stalls growth
Saying no with boundaries accelerates it.
→ Nearly half of introverts in extroverted roles report burnout compared to a quarter of extroverts.
→ Protecting your energy isn't selfish. It's strategic.

3. Constant meetings drain focus
Delegation multiplies impact.
→ Being in every conversation limits your team.
→ Empowering others to lead is 5x more effective at avoiding burnout.

4. Loud leadership demands attention
Quiet leadership earns respect.
→ Empathetic leadership isn't about volume. It's about making space.
→ Inclusive leadership recognizes people recharge differently.

5. Networking everywhere scatters influence
Showing up intentionally builds it.
→ Career advancement for introverts: be present where it matters, invisible where it doesn't.

6. Chasing visibility creates exhaustion
Managing energy creates resilience.
→ I went from performing to leading authentically and my impact multiplied.
→ The shift? Self-management became non-negotiable.

7. Ignoring rest kills performance
Protecting solitude fuels it.
→ Introverts need quiet to recharge. Ignoring that is running on empty.
→ Real leadership models rest, not just productivity.

You can build a career through constant performance.
Or sustainable success through intentional leadership.

One burns you out by Wednesday.
The other grows even when you step back.

♻ Repost to help introverts: visibility isn't everything. Intention is.

📬 Want deeper strategies like these?
I write a weekly newsletter on quiet leadership and career growth for introverts: https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

Your star performer left at 5 PM every day.

That wasn't a red flag.
That was a roadmap.

I used to stay until 8.
Sent emails at midnight.
Wore exhaustion like a badge.

Then I noticed something.

Sarah, our top analyst, packed up at 5 PM.
Every. Single. Day.

The execs whispered about her "lack of commitment."
Some people labeled her not a team player.

But six months later?
She delivered more value than our entire always-on team.

What they missed:
She wasn't coasting. She was focused.

• No 47-email chains about nothing
• No staying late just to be seen
• No 3-hour meetings that could've been an email
• No pretending to work while scrolling LinkedIn

Just deep, meaningful work.

After 5?
She recharged. Unplugged. Came back clearer.

While others ran on fumes.

What happened next changed how I led:

• The "lazy" analyst got promoted to Director
• One team member hit a wall and had to step back
• The always-on manager made critical mistakes

I learned something:
8 focused hours beat 12 exhausted ones.
Real productivity happens in bursts, not marathons.
Your best ideas come after rest, not during it.

I started telling my team:
→ Your best work happens when you're fresh
→ Creativity needs room to breathe
→ Burnout helps no one

The outcomes?

The exec who doubted her? Stress leave.
The always-on manager? Critical mistakes cost us a major client.
Sarah? Running the department.

Her worth was never in the hours.
It was in the outcomes.

♻️ Repost if you believe boundaries create better teams
📩 Join thousands of ambitious introverts building sustainable success: https://lnkd.in/e7xQPNtn

Gary Brown

Your best introvert is planning their exit. 
They just haven't told you yet.

Micromanaging says three things: 

"I don't trust you." 
"I need control more than results." 
"Your process scares me because it's not mine."

For introverts, this kills retention faster than anything else.

We need deep work. 

Focus without constant interruption and mental space to think through complex problems.

Micromanaging destroys all three, and it's why your quiet top performers leave first. 

No drama, no warnings. 
They're just gone.

In 20 years as a CHRO, I've watched this pattern play out dozens of times.

One company I worked with broke the cycle with a simple shift. 
Outcome accountability instead of process control. 

Leaders set the goal, and teams chose how to get there.

The impact was immediate. 

Turnover among introverted leaders dropped 60%. 
Same deadlines, better quality, and zero hand-holding required. 

Because when you trust people to do the work their way, they deliver.

Great leaders trust, then step back. 
Micromanaging says everything about the manager and nothing about you.

How have you handled micromanagers without burning bridges?

♻️ Share if you care

Your meetings are killing your best talent.

I was the quiet one for 10 years.
Invisible. Passed over.
Watching others get promoted for my ideas.

Now I'm the one changing the room.

Here's what introverts hear when you say:
"Why are you so quiet?" → "Why are you broken?"
"Just jump in!" → "Is this worth my battery?"
"Let's go around the table." → Time to update LinkedIn.

The math is simple but more leaders miss it:
- 50% of your workforce = introverts
- 90% of your meetings = built for extroverts

You're designing meetings that push your brightest people out.

I made 10 script swaps to save your talent.

Small changes in how you run meetings. 
Big difference in who stays engaged.

Swipe through. Change the words. Keep your people.

Quiet isn't disengaged.
It's brilliant.

♻️ Share and save this before your quiet talent becomes your competition

📩 Follow the A+Introvert Newsletter for more bite-sized career insights

What to Say (and not say) To Support Introverts in meeting

Most introverts nail the interview.
Then burn out in 90 days.

After 20 years as a CHRO, I've seen it happen too many times. 

Brilliant introverts accepting roles that drain them because they didn't ask whether the company actually values different working styles.

73% of employees leave due to poor cultural fit. 
Introverts feel this more, scoring 10% lower in workplace well-being.

The interview isn't just them sizing you up. 
It's you sizing up whether this company respects how you work best.

Swipe through for the 9 questions every introvert should ask before saying yes.

Your energy isn't up for negotiation. Neither is your environment.

💾 Save this for your next interview
♻️ Share with an introvert who needs this

Most Introverts Nail The Interview (Then Burn Out)

My first raise request took 45 minutes.
It failed.

My last one took 8 minutes.
It got me $35K more.

What changed?

I stopped trying to sound confident.
I started showing the numbers instead.

Swipe through for the exact 8-minute structure that did it →

Most introverts think a raise conversation means you need to sell yourself.
Walk in. Perform. Be louder.

That's not it.

It means building a case your manager can take upstairs and defend.

Extroverts walk in and improvise.
Introverts prepare a document and present it.

And in raise conversations, the document wins.

I've reviewed hundreds of raise requests as CHRO.
The ones that worked: short meeting, clear data, exact number.
The ones that didn't: long stories about teamwork and going the extra mile.

Your manager doesn't need a performance.
They need ammunition.

Numbers they can repeat.
Wins they can cite.
A case they can defend when you're not in the room.

Your quiet preparation isn't the problem.
It's the solution.

💾 Save this before your next raise conversation

♻️ Repost if you know an introvert who needs to hear this

The 8-Minute Strategy that got me a $35K Raise

I thought I was too quiet to lead.
Turns out, I was just introverted.

But it took me 15 years of forcing extroversion to figure that out.

These 10 books helped me stop apologizing for who I am
and start building a career that actually fits me.

1. Quiet by Susan Cain
The book that redefined what it means to lead with calm and conviction

2. The Introverted Leader by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler
A step-by-step guide to leading without faking extroversion

3. Deep Work by Cal Newport
Why focused thinkers are becoming the most valuable people in any room

4. The Introvert's Edge by Matthew Pollard
Sales isn't about charm. It's about process. Introverts win with both

5. The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney
The science behind why you need depth, not noise

6. Quiet Influence by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler
Six strengths that help introverts lead lasting change

7. Networking for People Who Hate Networking by Devora Zack
Real strategies for building relationships without working a room

8. Self-Promotion for Introverts by Nancy Ancowitz
How to get noticed without having to shout

9. The Powerful Purpose of Introverts by Holley Gerth
You're not flawed. You're wired this way for a reason

10. The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth Buelow
How to build something big without pretending to be loud

After 20 years as CHRO, here's what I've learned:
Your quiet style isn't the problem.
The workplace just hasn't caught up yet.

These books reminded me that:
✔ Listening in 1-on-1s created more trust than speaking at 100 all-hands
✔ My written strategy docs moved projects faster than any meeting pitch
✔ Deep thinking in solitude solved problems committees couldn't crack
✔ Building three strong relationships beat networking with 300 strangers

Half the population is introverted.
It's time we stopped treating that like a disadvantage.

If you're tired of being told to "speak up,"
this list is your permission to double down on your quiet strength.

Which of these books speaks to your current challenge?

💾 Save this for when you need it

🔁 Share it with a quiet professional who deserves to feel seen

PS. Follow the Free A+Introvert Newsletter for weekly bite-sized career insights (link in my profile).

Today I turn 52.
At 25, I hid in bathroom stalls before meetings.
Now I lead them as CHRO.

The same traits that made you second‑guess yourself at 25
are the ones that can make you impossible to replace
at 25, 52, or whatever comes next.

But only if you stop apologising for them.

I knew that in my head a long time ago.
I just didn’t have the guts to say it out loud.
That part took years.

I hope you don’t wait as long as I did.

25: The Breaking Point

I was the quiet one faking loud.

Forced networking until 2am. 
Performed enthusiasm I didn't feel. 
Dominated meetings that drained me by noon.

I sat in my car after another leadership summit thinking: 
"I'm in the wrong career."

Then a mentor said eight words that changed everything: 
"Stop playing their game. Start playing yours."

52: The Breakthrough

Today, I lead differently.

I skip 80% of networking events. 
Build five deep relationships instead of fifty shallow ones. 
Speak less but land every word.

Not despite being quiet. Because of it.

This is what I finally understood:

That overthinking? Catches problems before they explode. 
That selective socializing? Builds unbreakable loyalty. 
That need for quiet? Where real strategy happens. 
That careful processing? Why people trust my decisions.

At 25, I thought leadership meant being everywhere. 
At 52, I know it means being fully present where it matters.

I protect my mornings for deep work. 
Take walking meetings when I need to think. 
Leave events before I'm drained, not after.

The same traits that made you doubt yourself at 25 will make you irreplaceable at 52. 
But only if you stop apologizing for them.

You don't rise by volume. 
You rise by depth.

To every introvert who thinks they need to change: The world has enough performers. It needs more thinkers.

What "weakness" from your 20s became your superpower?

♻️ Share this if you're done apologizing for how you're wired. Not as an admission, as a declaration.

PS. Who dares to guess the age at this picture? :)

Exhaustion isn’t a badge of honor.
It’s a sign of poor energy management.

I was close to burnout before I turned 35.
Today, I’m a CHRO.

Still introverted. Never drained.

These seven tactics helped me stay energized,
lead effectively without pretending to be an extrovert,
and build a sustainable career on my terms.

Your energy is currency.
Spend it wisely.

♻️ Share this for introverts running on empty

💾 Save it for future reference

7 Energy Tactics That Saved My Introverted Career

Michael Pedersen

DecideFast™

I built the world's first Behavior Pattern Interrupt™ App to eliminate procrastination, overthinking, and indecision in seconds.

Founder

Adaptive Design Strategist

-Business Breakthrough
-Digital Footprint Overhaul
-Your New Online Asset (Business Website)
-Proven Content Marketing Strategies
-LinkedIn Branding & Engagement
-Lead Generation
-Email Marketing

Unlock the full potential of your small business, entrepreneurship, or coaching venture with our Adaptive Design Strategist Company. We're about engineering your success, not just updating your digital look. Experience business transformation that leads to tangible benefits: increased brand authority, more qualified leads, and a boost in conversions. With us, every digital interaction is optimized for engagement, turning visitors into loyal customers. Our approach ensures that your online platform drives growth and opportunity. Embrace a future where your digital strategy aligns with your ambitions, propelling you towards success. Join us to build the extraordinary.

Adaptive Design Strategist (formerly AZ Net Marketing)

Peak Performance Partners

-Mindset Reset Transformation Call

Breakthrough Coaching empowers you to navigate career transitions and overcome professional stagnation. Our focused approach targets what holds you back, equipping you with strategies to make decisive moves. With us, you transform obstacles into launchpads for success, mastering the art of adaptability and resilience. Whether you're pivoting roles, scaling your business, or seeking renewed motivation, our coaching ensures you emerge more focused, capable, and ready to seize opportunities.

Peak Performance Coach

Revenue Growth | Emotion-Based Brand Messaging To 3x Your Revenues | Bridging the gap between sales and marketing

Too many B2B sales teams are generating a high volume of quotes/proposals—yet win rates remain lower than desired.

Opportunities stall or disappear quietly. Not because of pricing—but because critical conversion elements are missing from the system.

That’s where I come in.

I work with B2B companies between $5M and $20M to recover lost revenue by optimizing the entire sales infrastructure—from initial targeting to proposal acceptance.

It starts with the 21 Day Revenue Sprint™, a fast, high-impact engagement powered by my proprietary Revenue Performance System™.

In just a few weeks, most companies uncover $250K to $1M+ in recoverable opportunity already sitting in their pipeline.

We can go deeper.

As a strategic advisor, I can also work directly with your leadership and sales teams to implement the structural upgrades and behavioral shifts that drive sustained revenue growth—without adding headcount, increasing marketing spend, or flooding your pipeline with unqualified opportunities.

Clients regularly report 20x to 100x ROI from targeted, system-level improvements.

Key areas of focus include:
✔️ Precision prospect targeting and qualification
✔️ Streamlined sales process and deal progression
✔️ High-conversion proposals and buyer decision clarity
✔️ Follow-up strategies that re-engage stalled opportunities

If your team is consistently quoting high-value work but too many deals are fading without resolution—you don’t need more activity.

You need a system built to convert.

📧 mike@adaptivedesignstrategist.com
🗓 Book a 15-minute Revenue Clarity Call

CEO & Founder

Does your website convert? When was the last time you gave it a refresh? How does it compare to your competitors?

Your company website is your brand on the Internet. An under-performing and outdated website will cost you revenues. 

Let’s jump on a discovery call to see if we are good fit to work together 

Visit: www.AZNetmarketing.com or 
Email: mike@aznetmarketing.com

How many times today have you reached for your phone instead of tackling the hard thing?

Your brain is wired to avoid discomfort—and it's costing your company millions. Here's what's actually happening in your head, and the one solution that works in real-time.

Full breakdown 👇

Mike Pedersen

Eliminating Decision Drag And Productivity Losses | Working With CFO and COO To Protect Payroll | Founder DecideFast™ The Decision Acceleration System

View newsletter: The Human Performance Brief

Ever spend 20 minutes organizing your desk instead of starting the actual work? Your brain is doing that on purpose. Here's the uncomfortable truth: p

Open article: Why Your Brain Loves Procrastination (And What Actually Works) by Mike Pedersen • 4 min read

Why Your Brain Loves Procrastination (And What Actually Works)

Decision Acceleration is a term you will start hearing more often when it comes to protecting payroll, operational efficiency, decision speed and throughput. 

DecideFast™ created the Decision Acceleration category, the performance layer that converts the hidden slowdowns inside the workday into speed, output, and financial gain.

To better understand the impact on the organization and employees, read this article.

Every company measures output. Revenue. Productivity. Efficiency. But almost no company measures the force that quietly drags them all down. Decision 

Open article: Decision Acceleration: Why Fast Teams Outperform Everyone Else by Mike Pedersen • 4 min read

Decision Acceleration: Why Fast Teams Outperform Everyone Else

THE HIDDEN $6.5M DRAIN

Every company tracks labor cost.

But almost no company measures the one force that silently drains millions of dollars: daily decision drag.

The hesitation. The small delays. The quiet moments where an employee freezes for five or ten seconds because they're stuck, unsure, or overloaded.

Those moments feel small. They're not.

Here's the math for a 500-employee company:
➡️ 13 interruptions per worker per day (UC Irvine)
➡️ 23 minutes to return to focus after each one
➡️ 5 hours of recovery time per employee per week
➡️ 2,500 hours lost across the workforce weekly
➡️ At $50/hour = $125,000 per week
➡️ $6.5 million annual drag

And this leaves out the secondary effects: → Delayed approvals → Slowed workflows → Stretched timelines → Margin erosion, let alone employee morale and burnout.

This isn't a people problem. It's a measurement problem.

➡️ You may not see it in daily reports, but these micro-delays quietly erode efficiency and margins. Imagine the cumulative impact if those lost minutes were reclaimed across your entire workforce.

Companies fix what they can see. Decision latency has been invisible.
Until now.

DecideFast™ created the category of Decision Acceleration. It gives employees fast resets(clarity) that cut decision drag and raise throughput across the workforce. Productivity rises because people act faster with less friction at every moment of the day.

Even small gains across 500 to 1000+ workers produce meaningful financial returns.

“Decision acceleration is the instant clearing of mental friction so people act fast with sharp focus. It drives workforce speed, precision, and consistent execution.” - DecideFast™ 

“Most tools take months to roll out and still never get used. DecideFast™ impacts your workforce in the first hour.”

➡️ If you want to listen to a condensed podcast from our 7000 word article, you can have a listen on Spotify. It's only 4 minutes: https://lnkd.in/gACVRV8w

If you enjoy it, share it, like it, and follow our DecideFast™ podcast. We'd appreciate it. 

#coo #DecisionVelocity #OperationalExcellence #CFO #EnterprisePerformance

Innovative CFOs don’t sit on daily decision drag.

☑️ They eliminate hesitation.
☑️ They remove friction.
☑️ They clear bottlenecks.
☑️ They protect productivity.

➡️ They know slow decisions bleed hours.
➡️ They know overwhelmed employees stall output.
➡️ They know small moments of confusion turn into big operational losses.

✅ They never assume employees just need to try harder.
✅ They give teams support in the moments they are stuck.
✅ They make clarity a priority because clarity speeds up the entire company.
✅ They focus on real time solutions because real time is where work breaks down.

👎 They don’t wait for annual surveys to reveal the obvious.
👎 They don’t lean on programs that never get used.
👎 They don’t pretend burnout and hesitation fix themselves.
👎 They fix what slows people down before it turns into cost.

That is the mindset that wins.

➡️ If you want to see how DecideFast™ helps eliminate decision drag and productivity losses, reach out. It will be the best 5-minute call you've had this year.

#cfo #coo #decisiondrag #operationalefficiency

Image credit: Business Infographics

Why leaders should focus on employee obsession and how it will impact so many critical aspects of the organization.

CFOs measure decision speed, but ignore decision drag and fatigue. This is costing companies millions of dollars and there's an easy fix.

If a CFO wants to see improvement in: 
1. Operational efficiency and workflow automation
2. Labor productivity and utilization
3. Margin protection and working-capital timing
4. Execution risk and organizational agility
5. Throughput and output acceleration
6. Cost of delay

The focus starts with giving employees relief in the moment of overwhelm, stuck and distracted. Solve that, and all six of these will be impacted greatly.

#cfo #operationalefficiency #decisiondrag #employeehesitation #DecideFast

The Missed Blind Spot Employees fight hesitation and distraction all day because work throws constant pressure at them. Micro stress points slow every

Open article: Employee Obsession. The Standard Every Leader Thinks They Follow but Rarely Do. by Mike Pedersen • 2 min read

Employee Obsession. The Standard Every Leader Thinks They Follow but Rarely Do.

$37,000,000 Gone You Won't See On A P&L

I did a DecideFast™ demo with an HR leader, and she was quite excited after she "felt it." 

She blurted out excitedly how productivity will go through the roof. I proceeded to tell her some shocking numbers. 

Only 3 out of 8 hours are truly productive—this “silent loss” is supported by research from Gallup, McKinsey, and HBR.

Let's consider a 1,000-employee company with an average annual salary of $60,000.

Calculation Details
➡️ Daily productivity loss: About $156,620.
➡️ Annual loss: $156,620 × 240 working days = $37,588,800.

This is a very conservative number; it is more like 250, as studies show the average number of workdays minus 11 holidays, and average PTO (10-12 days).

If you're a CFO reading this, you should work closely with your HR leaders to implement solutions that meet the needs (in the moment) of your workforce when they are overwhelmed, stuck, or burned out, which happens to 10-20 times every day.

You can't survey your way to more productivity. Nor can you meditate on it. It's time for an innovative solution to solve this $37M problem on demand and at scale.

DecideFast™  — Tap → Reset → Act

The only on-demand Employee Reset Solution™, giving your people instant relief from indecision, stuck, and overwhelm—at scale, in just 15 seconds, up to 20 times a day.

No onboarding, no training, just immediate clarity and forward movement for your entire workforce.

Millions of dollars in lost productivity can be recovered every year with faster decision-making speed—measured, delivered, and scaled through DecideFast™.

We are opening up two low-risk pilots to prove data and roll it out.

If you're an HR leader, don't wait until 2026. Let's schedule your 5-minute demo today! No slides. No pitch. Just experience it.

At DecideFast™, our mission is to ignite Human Innovation—helping every employee reset, refocus, and perform at their best in real time. We’re here to restore energy, clarity, and confidence across the workforce, one decision at a time.

➡️ What's it worth to your company to protect your culture, productivity, and retention? This is not a nice-to-have. It's mission critical!

#cfo #workplaceproductivity #employeeeexperience

Image credit: SelectSoftware Reviews

Eliminating Decision Drag And Productivity Losses | Working With CFO and COO To Bring ROI To The Bottom Line | Creator of DecideFast™ The Decision Acceleration System

The Quiet Part of Work No One Talks About

Look at this image.
This is what employees carry through a single workday.
Most of it never gets said out loud.

HR sees the reports.
CFOs/COOs see the numbers.
But those numbers are lagging indicators.
They only show the damage after it spreads.

The real story sits inside the moments you see in this image:
➡️ the hesitation
➡️ the doubt
the mental stall
➡️ the quiet pressure that slows people down.

This is where performance rises or drops.
This is where culture strengthens or cracks.
This is where people decide whether they speak up, shut down, or check out.

Traditional programs measure what happened last month.
They miss what employees fight today.

DecideFast™ gives instant relief in the moments employees feel overwhelmed or stuck.
Real-time clarity.
Real-time stability.
Real-time momentum.

No waiting for surveys.
No long modules.
No programs people avoid.

This is the new frontier of workforce performance.

Support employees in the moments that shape their day, and the culture shifts fast.

➡️ Attn CFOs and COOs. If burnout rises, turnover climbs, and output keeps slipping, the guesswork has gone on long enough—time for a real conversation.

"Human Innovation starts with people, not policy. DecideFast™ gives employees the instant resets they need to think clearer, act faster, and leave work with energy. That’s how we improve human potential at scale."

#hr #humanpotential #employeeexperience #workforceculture #decidefast #employeesareyourbusiness

The real cost inside the workday!

Every CFO has buckets they monitor with precision. 
➡️ Operational efficiency. 
➡️ Labor productivity. 
➡️ Throughput. 
➡️ Cost of delay. 
➡️ Workforce stability. 
➡️ Agility and execution risk. 

These buckets decide how fast a company grows or falls behind.

What most leaders miss is the root cause hiding inside all six. 
➡️ Employees get stuck. 
➡️ They get overwhelmed. 
➡️ They get distracted. 
It happens dozens of times per day across hundreds or thousands of people. 

The financial impact climbs into the millions before anyone sees it.

There has never been a real solution for those moments. Not surveys, wellness, or meditation apps. They are all lagging indicators (too late).

Nothing that meets employees in the exact second they hesitate (until now). 

Nothing that cuts through the overwhelm and gets them back into action fast.

That gap is massive and measurable. 

That gap is why companies are paying for slow decisions, lost output, and stalled execution without realizing where the leak begins.

DecideFast™  sits inside that gap. 
✅ It resets employees in seconds. 
✅ It restores clarity when they need it most. 
✅ It accelerates decisions at scale.

CFOs can ignore noise. They cannot ignore the cost leaking out every single day due to hesitation and distraction.

“DecideFast™ sits at the intersection of decision speed, execution efficiency, and operational capacity.”

Image credit: SelectSoftware Reviews

DecideFast™ The Decision Acceleration System

#cfo #workforceproductivity #decisionacceleration

Most leaders like to think they're running lean.
Often they are not, they're just spending less.

There's a difference.

Lean isn't about cutting budgets. It's about protecting payroll and controlling labor costs while eliminating waste.

👎 But here's what actually happens: CFOs see $8 million disappearing every year and call the fix an unnecessary expense.

Employees are productive 36% of the day. Every distraction burns 23 minutes of recovery time.

In a 500-person company, that's roughly $8 million in annual losses from decision drag and context switching.

Employees aren't to blame. 

When the brain experiences stress, it seeks immediate relief. 

That relief shows up as distraction—over two hours daily on phones, more than an hour on social media, the rest in texting, email, and YouTube. 

It's not a character flaw. It's how the human brain works under pressure.

➡️ Labor is the largest expense on the P&L. Protecting that investment means eliminating the factors that erode it.

Lean companies still invest in anything that protects payroll and execution. That is real leanness. Ignoring hard numbers is not leanness. It is cost denial dressed up as discipline.

➡️ Most finance teams never calculate the cost of decision drag.
Some see the numbers and the investment required don't fit the current budget narrative.

CFOs optimize labor cost per unit. Gross margin. Operating leverage.
But improving operational efficiency means protecting the throughput already on payroll.

➡️ Most companies spend millions to analyze slowdowns while the real losses happen in the seconds no dashboard can see. They measure everything except the drag that hits execution and inflates payroll cost. 

A consultant I spoke with on LinkedIn put it simply: "Easy for leaders to ignore what they choose not to believe."

The gap between what's being paid for and what's being delivered is sitting in these numbers.

The question is whether they get acted on or ignored.

➡️ DecideFast™ is offering 60-second demos. No slides or pitch. Just experience it. If you're a CFO or COO wanting to improve operational efficiency, throughput and protect your payroll, this is your solution.

➡️ ➡️ “Every solution promises performance after rollout. DecideFast™ delivers it on day one.”

#cfo #workforcecapacity #workforceefficiency #protectpayroll

Why Decision Speed Is Now a Must

Market data makes one thing crystal clear: decision speed and organizational agility are top strategic priorities for enterprises in 2025 and beyond.

➡️ Nearly 50% of senior leaders say accelerating decision-making is essential to thrive—up 10 points since 2021. 
➡️ 47% report that lagging agility costs significant profit, a rising concern compared to just 37% in 2021. 
➡️ Faster decision speed correlates directly with higher operational performance and competitive advantage. 
➡️ Yet only 28% of leaders feel truly ready to adapt as markets shift, signaling a major gap to close. 

 The message is clear: Focusing on reducing decision drag, hesitation, and speed is what executives need to survive in this fast-paced world we live in. Decision speed is simple, measurable, and directly tied to survival and success in volatile markets.

➡️ ➡️ "Every slowdown has a price. Most leaders pretend the leak is small because they have no solution to stop it."

Most current programs focus on lagging indicators, such as surveys, engagement, and wellness. If you want your company to survive, you must reevaluate the programs you are investing in and ask yourself this…
…“Is this helping our workforce in real time, or is it late?”

DecideFast™ is the decision acceleration system that turns hesitation into speed across your entire organization.

➡️ We are opening up 2 pilots before the end of this year. 100 users, 30 days. Data and proof are the intention. 

➡️ Are you a growth-minded leader who won’t accept the status quo? If so, reach out, and I’ll show you DecideFast™ live. It will be the fastest demo call you’ve ever had. No slides or pitch. Just experience it. 

“Most solutions take months to roll out and still never get used. DecideFast™ impacts your workforce in the first hour.”

The most expensive problems in your company are not the big ones.
They’re the tiny ones happening all day.

➡️ Micro-behaviors.
➡️ Overload.
➡️ Decision fatigue.
➡️ Short attention shifts.
➡️ In-the-moment hesitation.
➡️ The quiet pauses nobody tracks.

This is where the real slowdown happens.
This is where execution slips.
This is where companies lose millions in lower productivity and throughput without seeing it.

Employees aren’t failing.
Their brains hit a wall for a few seconds at a time.
Those seconds turn into minutes and compound across the workforce.

👉 That’s the real cost every CFO feels, even if they can’t trace it.

The companies that win are the ones that...
➡️ Support employees in these exact moments 10-20 times a day across the workforce.

When an employee gets clear fast, the whole organization moves more efficiently and quicker.

It's time to make a change! Employee survey and wellness programs are not solving this. They are lagging indicators. They are too late! 

➡️ Human Innovation starts with people, not policy. DecideFast™ gives employees instant mental resets they need to think clearer, act faster, and leave work with energy. That’s how we improve human potential at scale, and directly affect the bottom line!

We are offering enterprise leaders who are open to change and want their employees to have a solution that truly helps them, a 60-second DecideFast™ demo to feel it for yourself. 

Contact me and we'll set up a 5-minute call. No slides or pitch. Just experience it. 

“Most tools take months to roll out and still never get used. DecideFast™ impacts your workforce in the first hour.”

Three factors. Most companies measure none of them.

Decision Speed. Decision Drag. Decision Fatigue.

CFOs do not have a way to track these, nor have they tracked any of them.

They track outcomes. Revenue per employee. Project delivery. Deals closed.

But they're not measuring the decision layer—the invisible friction that sits between effort and execution.

Decision Speed 
How fast people move once they know the next step.

Decision Drag 
The slowdown that happens in the moment, inside the second, before anything starts. This is the invisible delay. The hesitation before the first action. The mental friction of figuring out what matters when everything feels urgent.

Decision Fatigue 
The psychological load that builds over the day and makes every choice heavier than the last.

By midday, the brain has burned through hundreds of micro-decisions. Email. Slack. Meetings. Priorities are shifting every hour. Each one pulls capacity until even simple choices feel impossible.

It's 2pm. Someone on your team has six things on their list. They stare at the screen for three minutes deciding which one to start.

That's not laziness. That's Decision Drag and Decision Fatigue compounding in real time.

Employees aren't to blame. The brain under cognitive load doesn't speed up. It delays and distracts to seek relief.

Measuring outcomes while ignoring the decision layer is like tracking how fast a car goes while ignoring that the engine keeps stalling and the driver is exhausted.

CFOs are being asked to cut costs and improve margins without clear visibility into where the money is actually going.

➡️ Headcount is the largest line item. Protecting it means knowing what's eroding it.

Most finance teams are reacting—defending budgets, justifying spend, trying to do more with less.

But they don't have the numbers that show where throughput is actually being lost.

➡️ Efficient companies invest in anything that protects payroll and execution. 

The gap between what's being paid for and what's being delivered lives in these three numbers.

Most leadership teams don't know what those numbers are.

The ones who do can't ignore them.

➡️ For those CFOs who want to protect payroll, improve operational efficiency, and throughput, DecideFast™ is the decision acceleration system that can solve this in real time, with no onboarding or friction. You see the impact in the first hour!

#cfo #operationalefficiency #throughput #payrollprotection

Most companies keep staring at workflow, while the real loss lives in the decision layer.

We obsess over revenue per employee, project delivery, ticket throughput, deals closed. All outcome metrics. None of them explain why a paid workday moves slow even when people are “working.”

Here is the part finance teams rarely name.

➡️ Decision Speed
How fast paid hours turn into output.

➡️ Decision Drag
Where payroll leaks before work even starts.

➡️ Decision Fatigue
Mental overload that quietly shrinks daily capacity.

➡️ Execution Flow
How consistently your labor investment produces.

Dashboards flag bottlenecks. Surveys confirm stress. BI tools paint the picture in fifteen different views. Then you look up a month later, and the same teams are still moving slowly. That is not a reporting issue. That is a decision-layer issue.

Think about a typical afternoon.
It is 2pm. A high performer has six priorities on their screen. Everything feels urgent. Nothing feels clear. Three minutes go by. Then ten. No one logs that moment anywhere. Yet payroll is still running.

Multiply that across hundreds or thousands of people and you see the problem. 

You are paying full price for capacity that gets chipped away by hesitation, overload, and unclear calls. Not because people are lazy. Because the system gives them data without giving them a fast reset when they hit that wall.

CFOs are being asked to cut costs and protect margins while the biggest leak sits between “I see the issue” and “We made the decision.” That space is invisible in most models. Which means the true cost never shows up where it should.

If you lead finance, this is the next frontier.
You do not need another dashboard. You need visibility into how fast decisions move, where they slow down inside the day, and how much paid capacity you lose there.

The companies that choose to measure and improve these four forces will run circles around the ones that keep polishing reports.

That’s what we solve at DecideFast™—real-time mental resets for your entire workforce. Decision acceleration compounds across the organization, protecting payroll, increasing operational efficiency, and decreasing labor cost leakage.

➡️ It's time the corporate world woke up, fixed these million-dollar costs, and stopped ignoring them. Who's bold enough to step forward?

Low Risk:
100 users. 30 days. Gather data (proof). Workforce rollout.

“DecideFast™ sits at the intersection of decision speed, execution efficiency, and operational capacity.”

#CFO #DecideFast #decisiondrag #workforceperformance

CFOs are under more pressure than ever: 65% say their boards want to see fast, measurable ROI from technology and productivity investments—the clock is ticking on every dollar spent.

Yet the reality inside most organizations?

$500 billion a year is lost across US enterprises to micro-hesitation, slowed decisions, and operational drag. 

A Fortune 500 company can lose up to 530,000 manager-days annually—often $250 million in payroll—because decision drag stalls projects and drains throughput. 

PwC reports that over half of executives admit they’re missing major business opportunities because teams can’t decide fast enough. 

But here’s the paradox:
➡️ Most “productivity” tools add complexity, require extra steps, and push employees to absorb yet another framework. People don’t want another workstream—they want relief, in the moment, when they’re truly stuck.

High-performing CFOs, those who outperform their peers, spend almost half their time on forward-looking strategy, not backward-looking reporting. They know that the true lever is helping teams move at business speed, not just adding more dashboards.

➡️ The next era of productivity will belong to those who can eliminate unnecessary complexity and enable teams to reset and move forward when it counts most.

➡️ It's time the corporate world woke up, fixed these million-dollar costs, and stopped ignoring these numbers. Who's bold enough to step forward?

“DecideFast™ sits at the intersection of decision speed, execution efficiency, and operational capacity.”

➡️ New Cost Calculator 

If you want to see what your number looks like, we can walk through the calculator together. Let’s get you on the schedule!

#CFO #DecisionAcceleration #Productivity #OperationalExcellence #BusinessStrategy

Every company loses time in the same places.
Not in disasters.

In the small moments, your people hit a wall and pause.
🚫 The dip in focus.
🚫 The drop in energy.
🚫 The moment someone stays quiet when they should speak.
🚫 The mid-day burnout that slows the room.
🚫 The hesitation before making a simple decision.

These moments look harmless.
They are expensive.
They weaken execution.
They slow teams.
They lower trust.
They shape how your company moves every day.

🚫 And when these moments hit, a survey will not help.
🚫 A wellness program will not help.
🚫 A meditation app will not help.
🚫 Nor will an employee rewards program.

None of those show up in the moment where the day slips.

Here is the question every leader avoids.

"What do these moments cost your organization across the year?"

Not in theory.
➡️ In real dollars.
➡️ In the delayed decisions.
➡️ In the stalled communication.
➡️ In the people who shut down when pressure rises.

If you pulled out your phone right now and ran the math on even one or two of these moments per employee each day, across your org, the number would hit hard.

That number sits on your balance sheet whether you name it or not. 

Now picture this.

What would your company look like if every employee had a way to pull themselves out of these moments in fifteen seconds when those moments hit 10-20 times every day?
✅ Cleaner execution.
✅ Faster decisions.
✅ More confident people.
✅ Less burnout hiding in the background.
✅ Teams that communicate instead of shutting down.
 
A company that moves without constant drag, makes faster decisions, and has a more confident workforce.

That is what DecideFast™ gives them.
 
A private reset they can use any time the day starts to slip.
✔️ Fast.
✔️ Simple.
✔️ Always in their hand.

If these moments changed, your company would feel different fast.
You already know it. 

DecideFast™: The Employee Reset Solution™
This is a new category that DecideFast™ has created. The corporate world hasn't seen it before—and must adapt, or employee churn, declining productivity, and poor culture will continue.

It's not a program.
It's not a perk.
It's a performance driver that employees actually use.
10-minute onboarding. No friction. No training. 

“The C suite wants dashboards and data. Employees want relief in the moment.”

HR leaders and CFOs: Do you want to maintain the status quo with the same programs that are not solving this, or do you want to be seen as an innovative company that is adapting this new approach to corporate culture and human performance at scale?

The question isn't, "Do we have budget for this?" The question is, "How fast can we get this in our organization?"

⬇️ Important ⬇️ 
If you want a short leadership briefing on this topic for your team, I offer a fifteen minute session with no pitch. It gives leaders clear insight they can use immediately.

Image credit: Proaction International - a dss+ company
Frank Congiu Shane Driggers

Most “workflow bottlenecks” aren’t workflow problems.

They’re decision problems hiding inside dashboards.

Every ops leader says the same thing:
“We can see the bottlenecks. The dashboards light up. The surveys confirm it.
But weeks later… the work is still stuck.”

Dashboards, surveys, and BI tools are great at surfacing friction. 
They are not effective at clearing it.​

Here’s what no one wants to admit:
Work isn’t waiting on data. It’s waiting on a decision.

Tasks don’t stall in Jira or Asana. They stall in people’s heads.
“We’re blocked” really means “No one feels safe or clear enough to move.”​

Workflow tools were built to track stuck work.

They were never built to give people a mental reset and accelerate decisions in real time.​

That’s the gap DecideFast™ was built to close.
It gives your people an on‑demand mental reset and improves decision acceleration in real time, the moment they get stuck:
✅ Break the cognitive jam.
✅ Create fast, aligned decisions.
✅ Protect payroll from another afternoon of “spinning.”​

Bottlenecks shouldn’t just be visible.
They should be short-lived.

If your dashboards keep telling you the same story every month, you don’t have a reporting problem.
➡️ You have a decision latency problem.

That’s what we solve at DecideFast™—real-time mental resets for your entire workforce. Decision acceleration compounds across the organization, protecting payroll, increasing operational efficiency, and decreasing labor cost leakage.

➡️ It's time the corporate world woke up, fixed these million-dollar costs, and stopped ignoring them. Who's bold enough to step forward?

“DecideFast™ sits at the intersection of decision speed, execution efficiency, and operational capacity.”

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The Battle

Steven Claes

Michael Pedersen

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taplio

The Battle

Steven Claes

Michael Pedersen

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Engagements

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Steven Claes's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreSteven Claes's LinkedIn Performance