Gary Ong | October 12th, 2021

There are days when things are moving full steam ahead. There is momentum behind every action, every project, and execution. There is physical strain, the days are long, but the mind is clear. The pathway forward is clear. Then, there is the opposite: the days when you stare into the void and ask, “what the hell am I going to do.”

At a startup, the higher you go, the more nebulous the day. If you’re the founder or CEO, the only thing you truly know about your day and your week is that it will change. The hardest days are not the ones filled with meetings, experiments or a long to do list. They’re actually the ones with no task. But, you are asked to make one very hard decision under conditions of pure uncertainty. They’re usually irreversible, and if you make the wrong one, it might mean the death of the company six months later. Spreadsheets can’t help, and going with your gut doesn’t seem right for something so important. So, you stare into the void and ask, “what the hell do I do.”

Here is why the decision feels impossible. You’ve placed Death as the outcome of the wrong decision. No amount of analysis, gut feeling, or advice will suffice in that light. You cannot plan around death.

So, start with a different end point instead. Be honest with yourself and ask what is the true worse case scenario of the decision. Most of the time, it’ll be a setback, not death. Then plan around those setbacks. Talk to advisors. Engage the process of decision making. Eventually, the right decision will come. After that, take a deep breath, and make the call.

Image credit: Arek Socha