Let’s not sugarcoat it: Some decisions suck. There is no win. There is no perfect data. There’s no “right” answer waiting behind Door #3.
You’re staring down two choices: F*cked or More F*cked.
And when you’re the operator in charge, you still have to make the call. That’s what separates pros from pretenders. Most people freeze when all the paths are bad. At Shockwave, we move.
This isn’t about crisis management theory. It’s real-world, battlefield-tested operations strategy that’s been forged through 35+ businesses, hundreds of campaigns, and tens of millions in outcomes on the line.
Step 1: Get Ruthlessly Real About the Outcomes
“You’re not deciding in theory. You’re deciding in blood.”
This is the first place 99% of ops leaders fall apart. They start philosophizing. Hypotheticals. Brainstorming. What ifs.
No. Emma Rainville cuts straight to the only questions that matter:
- What are the 2 to 3 actual possible outcomes?
- Which of those are absolute no-gos? (jail, lawsuits, loss of reputation)
- Which one gets you the closest to the outcome you want, even if it still stings?
This is not optimism. It’s tactical realism. If the best case still sucks, you still make the call—and you start executing with full focus.
“If I can get 60% to the outcome I want, I go for it. If all options suck, I still choose one and course-correct later—but I don’t freeze.” — Emma
Operators operate. That means we decide, even when it’s ugly.
Step 2: Make It Tangible Fast
“Theory keeps you stuck. Tangibility gets you moving.”
Richard’s approach is genius in its simplicity: Don’t float. Anchor. Anchor your thinking to what actually happens next.
Here’s how:
- What happens 5 minutes after you make this decision?
- Who gets hit?
- What dominoes fall?
- What new fires does this light—and how fast will they spread?
If you can’t answer these, you’re not ready to decide.
“I ask myself—if I go with this path, what exactly will I need to do next? If I can’t answer that, I’m not ready to choose.” — Richard
Real operators map the terrain in their head instantly. That’s what makes them dangerous. While others are still holding meetings, we’re planning the second and third order consequences before they happen.
Step 3: Communicate with Context, Not Excuses
“Make the call. Then own the communication.”
If you’re going to make a tough decision that might blow up, don’t hide behind it. Don’t wait for someone to discover the consequences. Get in front of it.
Emma’s method is extreme ownership paired with preemptive clarity.
Here’s how you communicate in lose-lose:
- “Here’s what I decided.”
- “Here’s exactly why I decided it.”
- “Here’s how it could go sideways.”
- “If you disagree—now’s the time to say something. If not, we roll.”
No BS. No blame shifting. Just raw leadership.
“If the decision is going to make you work the weekend, I’ll tell you. But if you think I’m wrong, now’s your chance to say something.” — Emma
And guess what? That level of transparency builds trust like nothing else. Your team knows you’ll take the hit with them—not throw them under the bus.
Step 4: Protect Relationships When the Fallout Hits
“The decision blew up. Now what?”
Let’s be real—sometimes even the best-worst move backfires.
The ad flops. The system fails. The client screams. It happens.
What you do after the blast defines you as a leader.
Here’s how Shockwave handles post-decision fallout:
- No ghosting.
- No finger-pointing.
- No damage control theater.
Just transparent reflection:
- “Here’s how I thought through this.”
- “Here’s what I got wrong.”
- “Here’s how I’m handling the consequences.”
- “Here’s what I’ll do differently next time.”
“We never beat people up for a wrong call. But we do ask them to explain how they made the decision—because that’s where the growth is.” — Emma
You protect your people from shame, but not from responsibility. That’s leadership.
Step 5: Debrief Harder Than You Decide
“A bad decision you learn from is never wasted. A bad decision you bury? That’s a time bomb.”
Shockwave runs tactical debriefs after high-stakes decisions—especially when they go sideways.
This isn’t “kumbaya” feedback.
It’s a precise dissection:
- What was the actual objective?
- What were the options we weighed?
- What assumptions did we make?
- What data was missing?
- Where did we let emotion override logic?
- What gets added to the protocol next time?
“We don’t celebrate the 90,000 things that went right. We zoom in on the one miss—and use it to sharpen the next call.” — Richard
This is how high-performance cultures get built. You don’t punish mistakes—you mine them for wisdom.
Put It All Together: What Real Ops Leadership Looks Like
Anyone can make decisions when it’s obvious.
Operators get paid to decide when it’s not.
When it’s chaotic.
When time is up.
When the board is watching.
When the team is tired and the budget is bleeding.
If you want to be that person, memorize this 5-step playbook:
- Ruthless clarity of outcomes.
- Concrete understanding of next steps.
- Transparent communication with everyone affected.
- Radical ownership of the result—good or bad.
- Relentless improvement through debriefs.
If your business is stuck in “safe” decisions or endless ping-pong approvals, this is your moment to upgrade your leadership.
🎧 Want to See This Playbook in Real-Time?
Inside the episode, Emma, Richard, and Saka walk through:
- How they’ve handled actual lose-lose decisions across 35+ businesses
- The systems that allow them to move without bottlenecking
- The cultural rules that empower their team to decide without fear
Final Word
If you’re the kind of leader who only makes moves when you’re 100% sure?
You’ll lose to the operator who moves at 60% and adjusts on the fly.
The battlefield doesn’t wait for perfect clarity. It rewards informed action and fearless responsibility.
This playbook? It’s your bulletproof vest.
Deploy it.
Want to turn your ops team into a decision-making machine?
Send this post to your Director of Ops. Then go download the Decision Vault resources from https://specialopspodcast.com/visionary-vault
Next time you’re choosing between two shitty options?
At least now you’ll choose like a pro.