Secret 4,1 · Communication / Focus — Decisions Color
Decisions Color
Two questions, four levels, one branch of the decision tree that is already yours. It came out of a bonus scheme in the North Sea that went quietly wrong.
Professional Head language · The decision tree — four levels of decision-making, each branch carrying its own colour.
The decision tree. Four levels of decision-making, each branch carrying its own colour.
The choice must be made
Everything urges you forward. The choice must be made. There is no more time for questions, investigations, or doubts. Your answer must be: Yes, yes – or No, no. Some people thrive in such moments. Others dread them. Yet both must decide. The situation is new. The outcome is uncertain. The risk is high, and past experience offers no guidance. The next step cannot be quality assured. You must make a choice. You stand on the edge of a cognitive leap.
Which raises the question: when do you take an existential jump at a depth of 70,000 fathoms? What will happen? Why does it happen? When does it happen?
Your Decision Profile
In times of stress or crisis, it is important to understand your own decision-making — your Decision Profile. Knowing how you tend to respond to a crisis will prepare you to act more effectively in your leadership.
Answer both questions — this saves to your report, and nowhere else.
Decision Color 1
In unfamiliar and uncertain situations: do you tend to make decisions quicker than most people? (Roughly 4 out of 10.)
Decision Color 2
In unfamiliar and uncertain situations: would you prefer an assistant manager who is quicker, or more thorough, than yourself?
Answer both questions above. Your Decision Colour appears here.
“Your decision-making behaviour in uncertain and hazardous situations, differs significantly from your routine, everyday decisions.”
SGL is a brilliant tool to get to know your team and understand their behaviour. SGL is an investment in the true values, people, and this investment will give more back than anything else.
Kåre Anthonsen · SGL-Ambassador
A surprising discovery in the oil industry
In the heart of Norway’s North Sea oil operations, a fascinating insight emerged — not from deep under the seabed, but from deep within an organisation. The year had been a success. One of Norway’s major oil companies had delivered strong annual results. Exploratory drilling yielded promising new finds, and innovative technologies were transforming oil production. The atmosphere was electric. Optimism filled the hallways.
Leadership decided to celebrate this momentum with something tangible: a bonus pool to reward innovation and bold decision-making. As part of the leadership development team, I was brought in to support the HR department in distributing these rewards. Simple enough, right? Not quite.
We asked managers across the company to nominate individuals who had demonstrated outstanding decision-making. What came back was unexpected. Most of the nominees were mirror images of the managers who nominated them.
A new way to reflect decision-making
The Troll field in the North Sea was one of the many projects to try out our experiences.
Instead of rewarding a particular type of person, we introduced a tool that celebrated the range of decision styles used in a high-stakes industry. The Decision Tree became our new compass. Inspired by communication models we had used in earlier SGL leadership programmes, it was built on four distinct levels of decision-making — each represented by a branch and coloured leaves. Each “branch” reflected a different kind of contribution, grounded in the real-life complexity of personalities.
At its core were two dominant profiles: the Quick decision maker — decisive under pressure, action-oriented, comfortable in fast-moving or uncertain conditions — and the Thorough decision maker — methodical and cautious, driven by detail, essential for managing long-term risk. Both were vital, especially when appointing leaders for new projects. One wasn’t better than the other — they were complementary. The Decision Tree gave us a shared language and an inclusive standard, far removed from any “gold” class.
Figure: North Sea platform
Intro film coming — the place for this secret’s recording is reserved here.
Sometimes, the most powerful tools grow out of the most unexpected situations. The Decision Tree didn’t just help us reward fairly — it helped us lead better. Because in complex environments, recognising different kinds of smart decisions isn’t just fair. It’s strategic.
What, then, is management?
Management is the way in which individuals influence their own work. What we call visible management refers to the observable managerial behaviour of a person, which is grounded in ethical values and principles that must be upheld to ensure that specific goals and outcomes are achieved.
This idea is echoed in expressions such as “Show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are” or “I see what you say.” Whether we like it or not, the relationship between an established leader and the organisational culture they foster tends to reflect a 1:1 ratio. In other words, no organisation can exceed the strength of its leadership.
The SGL Decision Tree illustrates the creative tension between an individual’s innate temperament — including their ability to manage risk — and the practical challenges of the situation at hand. This implies that not everyone is suited for every task, and that effective decision-making requires the right person managing the right task at the right time.
The deep level — the axis
Become aware of your Decision Axis. “When the sun shines, it casts a shadow.” Which means that your greatest strengths and your most vulnerable traits are two sides of the same axe. Both are part of who you are, shaped by genetic and temperamental factors that we can describe — but not change.
The well-known phrase from psychotherapy — “Become who you are” — applies here as well. As a leadership developer, my task was to help each individual become more aware of, and take pride in, their own decision profile and behavioural pattern. More on this in Secret 4,2 — the deep level.
Homework 4,1
Find your Decision Color
The exercise wants a pen and paper, not a keyboard.
Read through the descriptions slowly and get a feel for how your colleagues view you. Compare your results with your answers above, like this: No/Yes — No/No — Yes/Yes — Yes/No.
No / Yes — Yellow
Loyal, consensus-seeking and emotional “Helpers”. A Thorough yellow decision maker: methodical and cautious, driven by detail, essential for managing long-term risk.
No / No — Blue
Fact-oriented and rational active “Warriors”. A Thorough blue decision maker: analytical, targeted, structured and results-oriented in management positions.
Yes / Yes — Red
Aha-seeking, sensing and social “Helpers”. A Quick red decision maker: decisive under pressure, action-oriented, comfortable in fast-moving or uncertain conditions.
Yes / No — Purple
Independent, fast and intuitive “Warriors”. A Quick purple decision maker: simple messages, impatient, few options, results-oriented.
The exercise wants a pen and paper, not a keyboard.
Your turn
Home Lesson 4,1
By answering the two questions above, you have found your place on the decision tree — your Decision Colour.
Take your colour with you into Secret 4,2, where you will find your Strength–Shadow axis.
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