… stop waiting and start leading.
Here’s a hard truth: Most people don’t make real decisions. They wait. They hesitate. They let others choose. Or they avoid, delay, distract – until life chooses for them.
But there’s a powerful moment – often subtle, always life-changing when you decide to take ownership. When you say, “This is my choice. I own it.”
That moment? That’s when you stop being a passenger and start becoming the leader in your own life.
Responsibility isn’t a burden, it’s power. And that’s where great decisions begin.
Great decisions don’t come from perfect conditions — they come from ownership, a principle that can be seen in the decisions of great leaders. Take Reed Hastings of Netflix for example …
The Power of Ownership. A Story of Courage and Conviction
Reed Hastings made a decision that nearly broke his company – and it turned out to be the one that saved it.
When Hastings was building Netflix, he made a pre-decision, he said; “We will never compete on price alone. We will always compete on value.”
Hastings’ pre-decision would not only protect Netflix from pricing wars that destroyed its competitors, but it would ultimately make Netflix one of the most valuable companies on the planet.
But before that happened, Hastings would go through one of the most extreme tests imaginable – he risked everything because he believed Netflix had to go in a radically new direction, because the very thing that had brought it success, would soon destroy it.
A True Leader Stands Alone
In the fall of 2011, Reed Hastings stood alone. Not physically – he had a boardroom, a company, millions of customers – but alone in conviction.
In July 2011, Netflix hit its all-time with a market cap of nearly $17 billion and a stock price over $300. The DVD-by-mail business was a virtual cash machine with millions of subscribers and massive brand loyalty. Investor enthusiasm was at an all-time high and Netflix was considered one of the most innovative companies in tech.
But Reed Hastings saw the future differently. Even though he knew it would anger customers and investors, he felt that the right thing to do was to split Netflix into two companies – one for DVDs, one for streaming.
What made this decision all the more difficult was that Hastings had to go against his own emotional attachment to the DVD business. He had to ask some difficult questions about the future of DVDs. It would have been so easy to ride the wave but he was a true leader and so he asked, What would this company look like in five or ten years if it continued with the status quo?
Choosing to do the Harder Thing, When the Harder Thing is theRight Thing to Do
Choosing logic over emotion, in September 2011, Reed Hastings announced his controversial plan: Netflix would split into two separate businesses. Netflix would focus solely on streaming, while the new brand Qwikster, would take over the DVD-by-mail business.
Each business would require separate websites, separate logins, and separate billing.
The Backlash
The announcement was met with outrage. Customers found dealing with two companies to be so complicated and frustrating that over 800,000 subscribers left Netflix in the following quarter alone. Investor and media backlash was so severe that Netflix lost over 75% of its market value – more than $12 billion in just a few months.
True Leadership is Admitting When You’re Wrong
Even though Hastings believed splitting Netflix’s streaming and DVD-by-mail services would benefit the company he confessed that he had been wrong – not in his belief about the future of Netflix, but in how he handled the situation. His mistake wasn’t in direction – it was in delivery, and to his credit, he admitted it.
In reversing the Qwikster decision just three weeks later Hastings said; “I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation. We moved too quickly. We didn’t give it enough thought. We didn’t give it enough explanation, enough integration, and you know, that’s legitimately caused our customers to be angry.”
The Courage of Conviction
Hastings didn’t reverse course on streaming. In fact, he doubled down and guided Netflix through one of the most important transformations in modern business – turning the company from a DVD rental service into a global streaming powerhouse that changed how the world consumes entertainment.
It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for Hastings to change direction when the company was at its peak valuation – to risk everything when doing nothing would have been considered the “right” thing to do.
Hastings bet everything on his beliefs. He was a true leader and a true visionary. He made a decision that no one understood at the time and he never flinched even when the world turned against him and his company lost billions of dollars in shareholder value.
True leadership isn’t about popularity. It’s about clarity.It’s about standing firm when your instincts say “go” and the world screams “stop!”
This is why decision-making is the ultimate leadership skill. Every great leader in history– from business to politics to social movements – has been someone who was willing to make difficult decisions and take full responsibility for the consequences.
Hastings’ willingness to take bold, even painful steps in the face of the severest criticism, helped Netflix reinvent itself and become one of the most valuable companies on the planet.
Great Decisions Begin with Ownership
Leadership isn’t a title—it’s a mindset.
When you take full responsibility, you stop choosing based on what’s safe or expected. You start choosing based on what’s right – for you.
You stop reacting and start directing. You stop waiting for life to happen and start making life happen.
The best leaders don’t rely on guesswork or gut feel – they use a clear process. They learn how their mind works under pressure. And they practice decision-making like a skill – because that’s exactly what it is.
If you’re ready to lead your life with clarity, confidence, and courage, I invite you to explore my book, The Challenge of Choice.
Your decisions shape your destiny. Make them count.
