In a recent LinkedIn post, Greg Head delves into the critical balance between speed and caution in business leadership, introducing the concept of ‘reversibility’ as the key to reconciling seemingly contradictory approaches to decision-making.
Greg Head highlights the paradox leaders face: moving too quickly can dismantle a long-standing business, while moving too slowly might mean missing a crucial, cost-effective opportunity. He states:
“Move fast and you take apart a 40-year business in 18 months. Move carefully and you burn the only quarter that was ever going to be cheap. Both are true. Neither is advice.”
The Principle of Reversibility
According to Greg Head, the solution to this dilemma isn’t about aggression, but about understanding the reversibility of decisions. He uses the example of a new portfolio company CEO presenting their first 100 days’ plan to the board. When asked which of the twelve proposed items could be reversed within 90 days if proven wrong, the CEO identified nine as easily reversible and three as irreversible.
Greg Head points out that the CEO sequenced the three irreversible actions first, not necessarily because the business demanded it, but because these were the moves that would be most visible to the sponsor. This strategic sequencing, he notes, is often misconstrued as decisiveness rather than a calculated risk based on reversibility.
Differentiating Reversible and Irreversible Moves
As Greg Head argues, speed is essentially free on reversible moves. These might include actions like adjusting reporting cadences, testing pricing, or modifying decision rights. The cost of getting these wrong is minimal, perhaps a week of effort. However, he stresses that other decisions carry permanent consequences.
These irreversible actions include significant changes like altering headcount, outsourcing core functions, or replacing key personnel who possess undocumented institutional knowledge. Greg Head emphasizes the gravity of such decisions:
“You cannot un-fire an operator with thirty years on that floor.”
Conversely, Greg Head also identifies the failure of excessive caution. This often manifests as prolonged assessment periods where a board might question whether they hired an operator or an analyst. While less dramatic than a rapid, ill-fated move, this inaction, he notes, impacts the ultimate exit multiple and is a quieter, yet significant, business failure.
The Core Question for Leaders
Greg Head posits that the fundamental question before any early move in a business context should not be about having sufficient information, but rather about the cost and feasibility of undoing the action within a reasonable timeframe, such as 90 days.
He advises:
“If the answer is a week, do it now and stop deliberating. If the answer is that you cannot, you have not earned the information yet.”
Ultimately, Greg Head concludes that true operator quality is not measured by the intensity of actions taken early on, but by the leader’s ability to discern the nature of a decision—whether it’s reversible or permanent—before committing to pulling the lever.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Greg Head on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on July 31, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →