Month: November 2025

Leaders today are facing a strange paradox: more data than ever before, yet less clarity. Decisions that once felt straightforward now arrive wrapped in complexity, competing priorities, and shifting conditions. 

In her conversation with Mack on The Cred Podcast, business psychologist and executive coach Dr. Camille Preston offered a grounded way to navigate that reality. Not with more speed or analysis, but with better perspective and deeper integration.

One of her core concepts is that leaders can’t make every decision from the same “altitude.” Some moments require ground-level detail; others demand the 40,000-foot view. Camille encourages leaders to consciously move between those vantage points because what feels confusing up close often becomes clear when you zoom out; and what seems obvious at a high level can look very different when you drop back into the details. This intentional shifting of altitude helps leaders consider a decision from multiple angles before they commit.

Integrated Decision-Making

But altitude alone won’t get you there. Camille emphasizes that the best decisions are integrated decisions: ones that draw on the head, the heart, and the body. Analysis matters, but it isn’t the whole story. Emotion, intuition, and physical cues all hold information leaders often overlook. When leaders learn to listen inward and integrate those forms of intelligence, they make decisions that are clearer, steadier, and far more enduring.

Camille also shared her Donut Model, which helps leaders understand the difference between comfort, growth, and burnout. The comfort zone (in the center) feels good but rarely leads to meaningful progress. The burnout zone (outer edge) drains leaders of capacity and perspective. The learning zone — the stretch space between comfort and overwhelm — is where most effective leadership happens. The challenge is developing the awareness to know where you’re operating and adjusting accordingly, rather than pushing harder or retreating too fast.

Clear Outcomes, Flexible Approach

Threaded through all of this is the principle Camille returns to again and again: be clear on the outcome, flexible on the approach. Leaders often get stuck when they become rigid about the “how,” even when conditions shift or new information emerges. Camille argues that clarity doesn’t require inflexibility, and flexibility doesn’t mean indecision. The combination is what creates true leadership agility.

In a world where decisions are rarely black and white, where we’re flooded with information but starved for signal, Camille’s approach offers a practical, human way to find clarity again. It’s not about knowing more — it’s about seeing differently, listening inward, and leading from a more integrated place.

To hear the full conversation, you can listen to the episode here 🎧.

Gladys Kong, CEO of Azira, approaches decisions the way an engineer would: with logic, structure, and curiosity. But even she admits that data can only take you so far.

In her conversation with Mack McKelvey on The Cred Podcast, Gladys shared how she balances analytics with instinct, logic with empathy, and leadership with transparency. Her approach is less about being right and more about helping others understand how to think so every decision, good or bad, becomes a learning moment.

Here are five takeaways from that discussion that every leader can put into practice.

1. Data guides, but it doesn’t decide.

Gladys starts every major decision with data, but she never lets it be the final word.

“We’re a data company, so we have to be data-driven. But data doesn’t tell you everything.”

She layers data with perspective: feedback from her team, customers, and her own experience. Data is her compass, not her map. It points her in the right direction, but judgment and context determine the path forward.

2. Don’t ignore your gut, explain it.

When something doesn’t feel right, Gladys doesn’t dismiss it or act on impulse. She slows down to understand it.

“I’ve learned to articulate why I’m uncomfortable with something—to put words to it.”

That self-awareness turns intuition into actionable reasoning her team can understand, debate, and learn from. By taking the time to articulate her instincts, she transforms a private hunch into a shared insight, one that builds alignment instead of confusion.

3. Make your reasoning visible.

Explaining how you reached a decision isn’t just good communication, it’s leadership training. By articulating her process, Gladys gives her team a framework to apply on their own. They don’t just know what she decided, they learn how to think about similar choices in the future. It’s a way of scaling judgment across an organization.

4. Share mistakes with transparency, not blame.

Gladys doesn’t sweep bad outcomes under the rug. When something goes wrong, she and her team analyze it together.

“In every decision you make that’s incorrect, there’s something to learn.”

That openness builds trust and helps everyone spot blind spots faster next time. By normalizing reflection instead of defensiveness, she creates space for honesty and transparency.

5. Focus beats perfection.

As a startup leader, Gladys knows there’s never enough time or data to get everything right. Instead of chasing perfect answers, she focuses on what matters most: serving customers, driving growth, and keeping the team aligned on purpose.

When you stay focused on what truly moves the business forward, progress matters more than polish.

Decision-making isn’t about getting it right every time. It’s about having a clear process, understanding your reasoning, and helping others do the same. Gladys Kong shows that when leaders take the time to explain their thinking, they don’t just make better calls—they build smarter, more capable teams.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on The Cred Podcast HERE.