Sophie’s Choice: When Leaders Must Make Impossible Tradeoffs

Sophie’s Choice: When Leaders Must Make Impossible Tradeoffs

You’ve probably heard the phrase Sophie’s Choice before. It comes from a novel by William Styron (and later a film) where Sophie, a mother imprisoned in Auschwitz, is forced to make the unthinkable decision: choose which one of her two children will live… and which one won’t.

It’s one of the most gut-wrenching moments, and a situation no human being should ever face. And yet, she has to choose.

Since then, “Sophie’s Choice” has come to mean something broader: a decision where neither option is good, and not choosing isn’t an option either.

Now, most leadership decisions aren’t anywhere near that tragic, but sometimes the tradeoffs can feel difficult or even impossible. They can show up quietly, in moments you didn’t see coming: layoffs, reorgs, team conflict, and ethical gray zones.

A Quick Prelude

For my regular readers, you will notice that today’s post is a little different from what I usually write. It’s structured like a “quiz.”

I want you to feel what it’s like to be in a Sophie’s Choice moment — that cold, uneasy place where every option hurts, and you are the one who has to choose.

I will walk through 7 real-life leadership scenarios, and in each one, you’ll have to make a…