When urgency strikes, and you need quick decisions. Skip the swirl—not the people.
You’ve got 20 minutes and you need to make a few quick decisions. There’s no time to wrangle a cross-functional roundtable or schedule a “quick” sync (you know, the kind that somehow lasts 47 minutes).
So you do what most people do—you trust your gut, make the call, and brace for the fallout.
But here’s the thing: fast decisions don’t have to mean solo decisions. There’s a better way.
You can collaborate—even in crunch time—without slowing down.
Fast Collaboration Starts with One Thought: “Who else matters here?”
You don’t need to invite everyone.
You do need a pulse check from the people:
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Who are most affected
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Who will help execute
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Who might derail you if they’re caught off guard
Think of it like collaboration triage: the goal is connection, not consensus.
And that doesn’t require a meeting. It just takes intention.
Try This: The Two-Minute Touchpoint
Before you press “go,” pause and reach out to one or two people with a quick, targeted ask.
Text. Ping. Duck into their office (or virtual chat). Keep it short. And be crystal clear on the input you need for your quick decisions.
Power phrase:
“Hey—gut check. I’m leaning toward [X] because [brief reason]. Any red flags I should know about?”
You’re signaling respect, staying efficient, and avoiding the dreaded “Wait—why wasn’t I included?” moment later.
We’ve seen teams use this approach in high-pressure environments—IT escalations, operations workarounds, sales responses—and gain not just better decisions, but stronger relationships.
Ask for Contribution, Not Consensus
When time is tight, you’re not asking for approval. You’re asking for insight.
This one mindset shift can save you hours of cleanup later.
Try questions like:
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“What am I not seeing?”
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“If you were me, what would you watch out for?”
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“What’s one thing you’d do differently here?”
And remember: just because someone’s quiet doesn’t mean they agree. Passive silence is not active alignment.
Bonus: Use the Let’s Grow Leaders Rapid Collaboration Checklist as a Speed Filter
Pro tip: If you’re not familiar with this team collaboration checklist, we wrote about it here, with a handy chart too. It’s a powerful tool for slowing your thinking just enough to make faster, better decisions—with others, not around them.
You don’t need a full meeting to use it.
Run them through your head like a mental pre-flight checklist:
- What do I know?
- Who needs to know?
- Do they know?
- Who does this affect?
- What do I need to learn?
Even running through this mentally in under two minutes can make your decision smarter, faster, and more inclusive.
When it Comes to Quick Decisions, Speed ≠ Silence
You might think moving fast means skipping the conversation. But not saying something is still a choice—and often a loud one.
If someone hears about your decision third-hand, after the fact, their trust takes a hit—even if your choice was the right one.
When people are left out of the loop, they don’t feel lucky.
They feel dismissed.
So if you want people on board with you later, take 30 seconds now as you make your quick decision.
Make the Call—Then Close the Loop
Once you’ve checked your blind spots, make the call confidently. Don’t wait for full consensus. But don’t ghost your collaborators, either.
Let people know:
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What you decided.
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Why you moved fast.
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When you’ll revisit the outcome.
Power phrase:
“Thanks for the quick input. I made the call to [X] based on what we know. Let’s regroup in a day or two to see how it’s going.”
This is how you build momentum without resentment.
Fast doesn’t mean frantic.
And collaboration doesn’t mean slow.
It means asking the right people the right questions—briefly, clearly, and on purpose.
So next time urgency strikes, don’t fly solo.
Take a beat. Use your filter. Make a better decision—fast.
Your turn. What advice do you have on how to collaborate when time is tight?
See Also: Left Out of the Loop? Here’s How to Step Back in with Confidence
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