Complex industries expose weak decisions fast. Few fields test judgment like medical devices. Lives are affected. Rules are strict. Timelines are tight. One wrong call can delay a product for years.
After decades inside this world, leaders learn what works and what fails. One such leader is Bryan Scott McMillan, whose long career offers clear lessons about how to make better decisions when the stakes are high.
This article breaks those lessons into clear ideas. Each one comes from real experience. Each one can be applied anywhere complexity exists.
Why Medical Devices Are a Decision-Making Stress Test
Medical devices sit at the crossroads of science, regulation, and business. Every choice passes through multiple filters.
The U.S. FDA approves over 4,000 medical devices each year, but thousands more stall or fail. Nearly 30% of device delays are caused by poor early decisions, not technology limits.
Complexity is not the enemy. Poor judgment is.
Good leaders do not panic. They slow the moment down.
Lesson One: Urgency Is Not Strategy
Speed feels productive. In regulated industries, speed often hides risk.
One leader once pushed a product launch forward despite warnings from the regulatory team. The technology worked. The paperwork did not. The result was a delayed launch after heavy investment.
The lesson stuck.
When pressure rises, good leaders pause longer. They ask harder questions. They separate deadlines from outcomes.
Actionable move
- Before final decisions, ask one question: “What breaks if we wait two more weeks?”
- If the answer is unclear, waiting is the better choice.
Lesson Two: Listening Beats Authority
Titles do not create clarity. Listening does.
In high-risk industries, the most useful insights often come from people closest to the work. Engineers. Regulatory specialists. Quality teams.
One experienced executive made it a habit to speak last in meetings. Junior voices spoke first. Patterns emerged faster.
This approach reduced blind spots and improved trust.
Actionable move
- In meetings, let the least senior person speak first.
- Capture their concerns before leadership opinions shape the room.
Lesson Three: Calm Is a Competitive Advantage
Medical device leaders operate under constant pressure. Audits. Clinical data. Global supply issues.
Stress narrows thinking. Calm widens it.
Leaders who regulate their own emotions make better calls. Teams mirror that behaviour.
During one regulatory review crisis, leadership avoided late-night panic meetings. Instead, they scheduled short, focused sessions during normal hours. Errors dropped. Clarity improved.
Actionable move
- Replace long crisis meetings with 30-minute decision blocks.
- Stop meetings early if tension rises. Resume when calm returns.
Lesson Four: Systems Matter More Than Heroics
Complex industries reward structure. Not hero moments.
Strong systems reduce the need for constant decision-making. Clear processes protect teams from burnout.
In several organisations, performance improved after leaders removed unnecessary approval layers. Fewer decisions. Better outcomes.
Actionable move
- Audit decision paths.
- Remove one approval step this quarter.
- Measure speed and quality changes.
Lesson Five: Regulation Is a Design Partner
Many leaders treat regulation as a blocker. That mindset creates friction.
Experienced leaders treat regulators as early design partners. Compliance begins during concept planning, not after development.
One product team reversed years of delays by embedding regulatory staff into early brainstorming sessions.
The product moved faster, not slower.
Actionable move
- Include compliance teams in early planning.
- Treat rules as design constraints, not obstacles.
Lesson Six: Failure Is a Data Point
In medical devices, failure feels expensive. It is also educational.
One failed launch taught a leader the cost of ignoring early warnings. That lesson prevented future losses across multiple products.
Failure only becomes waste when leaders hide from it.
Actionable move
- Document failed decisions.
- Review them quarterly without blame.
- Extract one rule from each mistake.
Lesson Seven: Decision Fatigue Is Real
Leaders make hundreds of decisions daily. Quality drops when fatigue rises.
Experienced executives protect their energy. They automate small choices. They reserve focus for high-impact calls.
Some reduce meetings. Others protect mornings for thinking work.
Actionable move
- Block two hours weekly for deep thinking.
- Remove low-impact decisions from your calendar.
Lesson Eight: Walk Away to Think Better
Complex problems often solve themselves when leaders step away.
Walking creates mental space. Silence improves clarity.
Many senior leaders use quiet walks to reset before decisions. No calls. No noise. Just movement.
The brain processes risk better when the body moves.
Actionable move
- Take a 15-minute walk before major decisions.
- Leave all audio behind.
- Ask one question and let it sit.
Lesson Nine: Trust Is the Real Accelerator
Trust speeds everything.
Teams move faster when they trust leadership. Regulators respond better when trust exists. Partners share problems earlier.
Trust grows through consistency, not speeches.
One executive gained credibility by admitting a mistake publicly. The team responded with honesty. Performance improved.
Actionable move
- Admit one mistake openly this quarter.
- Model accountability before asking for it.
Lesson Ten: Complexity Rewards Patience
Complex industries punish shortcuts. They reward patience.
Leaders who last decades learn this early or pay later.
Medical devices demand humility. Science changes. Rules evolve. Markets shift.
Good decision-makers adjust without panic.
What Leaders Can Apply Today
These lessons extend beyond medical devices. Any complex system benefits from them.
Quick checklist
- Slow down urgent decisions.
- Listen before speaking.
- Design calm into leadership.
- Build systems over heroics.
- Respect constraints early.
- Learn publicly from failure.
- Protect energy.
- Walk to think.
- Build trust daily.
- Choose patience.
Final Thought
Complex industries do not need louder leaders. They need steadier ones.
Decision-making improves when leaders remove noise, reduce ego, and respect systems.
Thirty years inside medical devices teaches one truth fast. Clarity beats speed. Calm beats control. Listening beats certainty.
And those lessons apply everywhere.
