Decision Fatigue Is a Leadership Tax. Coaching Can Reclaim Your Mental Bandwidth.
In a world where CEOs are expected to outthink AI, outmaneuver markets, and outlast uncertainty, it’s no wonder many feel like their brain has 47 tabs open - and no idea where the music is coming from.
According to Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, global employee engagement has dropped again, now at just 21%. But here’s the kicker: manager engagement has fallen even faster, down from 30% to 27%. As Gallup puts it, “If manager engagement continues to decline, it won’t stop with managers - and it won’t stop with engagement.”
Disengagement isn’t just about mood. It’s a cognitive drain. A signal that your decision-making centre - the prefrontal cortex - is overloaded, and your brain is running on fumes.
So why is this happening, especially to smart, capable leaders?
The Cost of Constant Output
Most senior leaders pride themselves on mental toughness. But neuroscience reminds us: even the most brilliant minds burn out under sustained cognitive load.
Every decision - whether it's hiring a key exec, rethinking a product strategy, or replying to that 10:47pm Slack ping - draws from a limited well of focus and clarity. Left unchecked, this leads to:
Decision fatigue: Your brain shifts from intentional choices to mental shortcuts.
Amygdala hijack: Emotional reactivity replaces strategic perspective.
Beta wave dominance: A high-alert state that blocks flow and creative thinking.
The result? Slower decisions, second-guessing, reactive leadership - and the creeping sense that you're constantly busy but rarely effective.
Coaching as Cognitive Recovery
This is where real coaching - not corporate checkbox coaching - comes in. At its best, coaching is a clearing of the mental field, a disruption of the autopilot.
Drawing from the Inner Game model by Tim Gallwey, we know that human performance isn’t limited by capability but by interference - especially from what Gallwey called Self 1, the inner critic. Neuro-scientifically, this maps neatly to the prefrontal cortex being jammed by negative prediction loops.
In contrast, effective coaching helps you:
Identify and quiet unhelpful mental chatter
Surface deeper insights by listening without an agenda
Reconnect to what matters most (what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would call a “clear goal” - one of the core preconditions for flow)
The GROW model, championed by Sir John Whitmore, supports this process. It's deceptively simple, but when used well, it restores decision clarity by creating:
Goals that matter (and activate intrinsic motivation)
Reality-based appraisals (reducing cognitive distortion)
Options that widen perceived choice
Will that cuts through inertia
This is not just strategy - it’s psychological recovery.
The Quiet Power of Being Heard
One overlooked, underrated value of coaching? You’re being listened to without an agenda.
That doesn’t happen in board meetings, investor calls, or even with most peers. A well-trained coach isn’t trying to fix you, sell you, or one-up you. That kind of presence gives your executive brain something rare: a safe space to think clearly.
This isn’t therapy. It’s structured clarity. And in the chaos of leadership today, that’s rocket fuel.
Why This Matters Right Now
In a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous), mental clarity is your edge. It’s the slight advantage that lets you navigate pivot points, handle complexity without overwhelm, and make confident calls under pressure.
The WEF Future of Jobs 2025 report states that “cognitive flexibility, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving” are among the most critical leadership skills of this decade. Coaching develops all three - not through theory, but through repeated reflection-in-action.
Ready for a Mental Reboot?
If you’re leading through noise, change, or uncertainty - and want a trusted, high-level thinking partner - I offer 1:1 coaching for senior leaders, founders and execs who want to get clear, sharp and centred.
📞 Book a discovery call here - no pressure, no fluff. Just a conversation worth having.