WHY STRESS TEST
JUDGEMENT?
Most senior decisions fail upstream — not from lack of intelligence or data, but because interpretation narrows under pressure.
The Executive Insight Stress Test (EIST) examines how decisions are interpreted in real time to expose patterns in judgement — how alternatives vanish, confidence forms prematurely and experience masquerades as insight.
The EIST is abstract by design allowing its principles to be universally applied, rapidly adopted and easily understood, while remaining focused on judgement and decision quality.
EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
STRESS TEST
The EIST applies structured pressure to interpretation, exposing predictable patterns in decision-making.
This pattern is observable, repeatable and auditable.
01
INTERPRETIVE COLLAPSE
A single reading dominates; alternatives disappear early.
02
SHALLOW
DECISIONS
Analysis feel rigorous but lacks depth; confidence rises as insight declines.
03
TECHNICAL
MISATTRIBUTION
Experience and technical skill are mistaken for insight; they are not correlated.
04
QUALITY DISTORTION
Ideas are evaluated on clarity and familiarity, not value.
This systematically favours basic thinking.
05
LOCKED OUTCOMES
Once commitment forms, sub-optimal decisions harden. Optimal insight is no longer achievable.
WHAT THE EIST REVEALS
The Executive Insight Stress Test makes judgement visible:
-
Where interpretive range collapses.
-
How confidence forms without challenge.
-
Which risks are invisible at the point of commitment.
-
The quality of insight being produced.
Ideas and decision-making may be examined objectively and categorised as:
Basic - 80% of outcomes.
Advanced - 20% of outcomes.
Optimal - 1% of outcomes.
Insight lies in the 1% of outcomes.
FORMAT
The EIST is a discrete, time-bound diagnostic, conducted 1:1 or as an executive team audit.
The EIST is most relevant when:
-
Decisions are high-stakes and difficult to reverse.
-
Judgement is under pressure from time, scrutiny, or consequence.
-
Technical confidence is high, but outcomes are inconsistent.
-
The cost of being wrong exceeds the cost of slowing down.
What the EIST is not:
-
Early-stage brainstorming.
-
Ideation or creativity workshops.
-
Capability development for junior teams.
-
Execution optimisation or delivery support.
CHRISTOPHER S. SELLERS
Author of Applied Creativity and Why Smart People Aren’t Creative.
Advisor to boards, executive teams, and innovation programs.
Founder and CCO, Vault Financial.
Creator of the Six Creative Skill Sets and the Executive Insight Stress Test.
Focused on judgement, insight, and decision quality under pressure.
Innovation SME, Australian Institute of Management.