Volume 22, Chapter 3
Principles for Making Good Decisions
Definition
A decision about which of two very similar fabric suppliers to try first was debated for weeks at MANIAC MINDZ, with opinions and comparisons gathered as if the choice were permanent. In reality, either supplier could simply be dropped after one order if it did not work out.
matches how much careful thought a choice gets to how much the choice actually matters, specifically, to how easily it can be undone. Not every decision deserves a meeting; not every decision should be made in five seconds either.
Why did a low-stakes choice end up eating weeks of debate? Because it felt important in the moment, and nobody had stopped to ask the one question that actually mattered: could this simply be undone if it turned out wrong? A decision that's easy to reverse doesn't need the same careful thought as one that isn't, no matter how big it feels while you're inside it.
The single most useful question before any decision: "if this turns out wrong, how hard is it to undo?" Easily reversible decisions should be made fast, by whoever's accountable, without a committee. Hard-to-reverse decisions deserve real, careful consideration, the right approval level, and a recorded reason in the minutes.
Reversible vs Irreversible
| Reversible Decision | Irreversible (or Hard-to-Reverse) Decision | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | Trying a new supplier for one small order | Signing a multi-year lease |
| How fast to decide | Quickly, by whoever is accountable | Slowly, deliberately |
| Who should decide | The role with matching authority | Per Volume 11's approval ladder |
| How it's recorded | A quick note is enough | Full minutes with reasoning |
"How hard is this to undo?" decides how much careful thought it deserves, not how important it feels in the moment. A decision that feels big but is actually easy to reverse doesn't need a committee.
Gather the Facts, Then Decide, Don't Let Facts-Gathering Become Stalling
Every decision benefits from checking the actual facts (a KPI, a budget line, a documented history) rather than a gut feeling alone, but for reversible decisions especially, endless fact-gathering can itself become a way of avoiding a decision. If it can be undone, a reasonable decision made today beats a perfect decision made in three weeks.
Example Story: The Reversible Decision Treated as Permanent
Here's the full version of the two-fabric-suppliers story from the start of this chapter.
A decision about which of two very similar fabric suppliers to try first was debated for weeks at MANIAC MINDZ, with opinions and comparisons gathered as if the choice were permanent. In reality, either supplier could simply be dropped after one order if it did not work out.
The weeks of debate hadn't made the eventual choice any better. Once it was recognized as a reversible, low-stakes decision, made by whoever normally handled supplier relationships, the weeks of debate became a same-day choice, with no worse outcome than the drawn-out debate would have produced.
Across Industries
Every trade has its own version of "easy to try" and "hard to undo," the test below applies the same way regardless.
| Business | A Reversible Decision | An Irreversible Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Crust Bakery | Trying a new packaging supplier | Signing a long-term storefront lease |
| Rapid Auto Works | Testing a new diagnostic tool on trial | Hiring a permanent senior technician |
| Precision Print & Press | Adjusting a small print run's paper stock | Taking on a large, multi-year exclusive contract |
Common Mistakes
Wastes careful thought on choices that could simply be tried and reversed if wrong, see the example story.
The opposite failure, a hard-to-undo commitment deserves the full approval ladder and recorded reasoning, not a snap call.
For reversible choices especially, a reasonable decision now beats a perfect one indefinitely delayed.
Quiz Yourself
Practice Exercise
Take a decision you're currently sitting on. Ask: is it actually reversible? If yes, decide today. If no, route it through the approval ladder and record the reasoning in minutes.
Quick Summary
Quick Summary
- Match careful thought to how easily a decision can be undone: fast for easily-undone decisions, careful and documented for hard-to-reverse ones.
- Gather real facts before deciding, but don't let fact-gathering become a way of stalling a reversible decision.
- Volume 22 complete. Next, Volume 23: Knowledge Management covers capturing what people know before it walks out the door.