In competitive markets, most companies have access to the same tools, the same channels and often the same data.
What increasingly separates high-performing teams from the rest isn’t creativity alone, budget size or even strategy quality.
It’s how fast they decide.
Decision velocity - the ability to make good decisions quickly and move forward - has become one of the most underrated advantages in modern marketing.
Speed doesn’t mean rushing
Decision velocity is often misunderstood as acting impulsively.
In reality, fast decision-making usually comes from:
clarity of direction
shared understanding of priorities
trust between teams
simple governance
clear criteria for “good enough”
Slow decisions are rarely caused by lack of intelligence.
They’re caused by uncertainty, misalignment and fear of being wrong.
Marketing environments change faster than planning cycles
Markets shift continuously:
platforms evolve
costs fluctuate
audience behaviour changes
competitors adjust positioning
In this context, the ability to decide, test, learn and adjust quickly matters more than perfect planning.
Teams that wait for full certainty often arrive late.
Teams that decide with reasonable confidence learn faster - and learning compounds.
Decision velocity compounds over time
One fast decision doesn’t change much.
Repeated fast decisions change everything.
Over time, teams with high decision velocity:
test more ideas
learn earlier what works
correct mistakes sooner
adapt messaging faster
gain confidence in their process
This creates a feedback loop where speed reinforces competence.
Most delays are organisational, not analytical
Marketing decisions often stall because:
too many stakeholders need to approve
objectives aren’t clearly prioritised
success criteria are vague
teams fear making visible mistakes
accountability is unclear
When ownership is diffuse, decisions slow down.
Clear roles and boundaries reduce friction and unlock momentum.
Clarity is the real accelerator
The fastest teams aren’t the ones with the most data.
They’re the ones with the clearest answers to a few key questions:
What are we trying to achieve right now?
Who are we optimising for?
What matters more than everything else?
What are we willing to deprioritise?
Clarity turns debate into action.
Fast decisions don’t mean irreversible decisions
One of the biggest sources of hesitation is treating every decision as permanent.
In reality, most marketing decisions are reversible:
messaging
creative
channel mix
pacing
formats
Understanding which decisions are reversible - and which are not - dramatically increases confidence and speed.
Decision velocity creates cultural momentum
When teams see decisions being made and acted on:
motivation increases
ownership improves
accountability becomes clearer
collaboration feels easier
Momentum becomes cultural, not just tactical.
This cultural shift often unlocks more performance than any single campaign.
A simple diagnostic
Ask your team:
| “What’s one decision we’ve been discussing for weeks that could have been tested in days?”
The answer usually reveals where decision velocity is breaking down.
At InGrowth, we see decision velocity as a system outcome, not a personality trait.
It’s built through:
strategic clarity
simple decision frameworks
clear ownership
realistic expectations
room to learn
When decision-making speeds up, marketing becomes more adaptive, more confident and more effective.
