Should I decide fast to look confident or ask first?

You decide before you ask, because asking would show that you are not sure, and you believe uncertainty would chip at your authority. So the call gets made early, the confident face stays on, and something real gets traded for something that only looks like strength. Here is what is worth seeing: the authority you are protecting is not as fragile as you fear. People do not lose respect for a leader who asks a good question before deciding. They lose it for a leader whose early, confident calls keep turning out wrong. Consulting is not weakness on display. It is how good decisions get made, and people know it. On the next decision that is not truly urgent, let yourself ask before you conclude. Say plainly, I have a lean, but I want to hear you first. You will find the sky does not fall. Your authority will rest on better outcomes instead of a brave face, and that is a foundation that actually holds.