ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the pre-decisional processes which are the main work of the leader and the coach together as the leader prepares to make brave decisions and take action. The sphere provides the reflective and critical thinking space needed in the pre-decisional phase to assess complex wicked problems. It is in the space that, as Bennet and Bennet described, the decision maker is: learning how to feel the system's pulse through close attention, listening, experience and reflection. The chapter explores cognitive processes for determining the action to be taken and how options for deciding can be identified. Before examining the role of intuition in decision making, it describes a rational approach to decision making proposed by Peter Ferdinand Drucker. Rich pictures have their origin in the theory of soft systems analysis and can be a useful tool in coaching to map out the contingencies in the environment, especially the wider pulling factors.
