Real Talk Roundup - February 15, 2026

Five recent pieces on decision durability, memory, and the quiet operating model work that keeps “data-driven” from becoming performance. Each one sits where systems, standards, and leadership meet. The place where good numbers either turn into movement, or turn into reruns.

If you’re new here (welcome!) or just missed a week, here’s a curated set of the latest pieces. Short intros below… open what hits right now, bookmark the rest for when you’re ready.

1) The Decision System That Holds

This is the flywheel: boundaries reduce noise, escalations prevent stalls, memory prevents churn, and reinforcement prevents drift.

The Decision System That Holds

A decision isn’t done until the work changes.

Brett W. Farmer | Technology Strategy for ImpactBrett W. Farmer

2)  Decision Reinforcement: When Memory Becomes the Deafault

The hardest part isn't deciding. It's making the decision stick under pressure, turnover, and exceptions.

Decision Reinforcement: When Memory Becomes the Default

If you’re still re-deciding under pressure, you don’t have a decision system yet, because decisions only stick when reinforcement turns memory into the default.

Brett W. Farmer | Technology Strategy for ImpactBrett W. Farmer

3) Decision Memory: Speed That Doesn't Forget

If you can’t retrieve what you decided, you’ll keep paying for the lesson. Memory isn’t documentation. It’s portability.

Decision Memory: Speed that Doesn’t Forget

If you can’t retrieve what you decided, you’ll keep paying for the lesson.

Brett W. Farmer | Technology Strategy for ImpactBrett W. Farmer

4) Decision Escalations: The Ladder That Keeps Work Moving

When escalation is driven by heat, decisions turn political. Design the trigger, and the system can move without drama.

Decision Escalations: The Ladder That Keeps Work Moving

When escalation is driven by feelings, decisions become political. Design the trigger, and the system can move.

Brett W. Farmer | Technology Strategy for ImpactBrett W. Farmer

5) Decision Boundaries: Autonomy Without Drift

Autonomy isn't a vibe. It's a design choice.

Decision Boundaries: Autonomy Without Drift

Autonomy doesn’t create speed. Boundaries do.

Brett W. Farmer | Technology Strategy for ImpactBrett W. Farmer

Want the TL;DR?

• Durability beats alignment. The meeting is easy. The handoff is where systems prove themselves.
• Boundaries are autonomy with teeth. If you can't say what's in and out, you have already invited drift.
• If your escalations run on relationship, your "governance" changes every time the room changes.
• If the decision can’t be retrieved in under a minute, you’ve already scheduled the rerun.
• Reinforcement is the difference between intent and default. It’s the workflow change that makes the future behave.
• A decision system holds when new leaders can inherit context, exceptions can be classified cleanly, and work keeps moving without heroics.

If one idea helped, share this roundup with someone who’s stuck in reruns, rebuilding the same number, or trying to create calm before they chase speed.  

Real talk. Real strategy. Real results in digital transformation.  

— Brett