The Decision-Making Framework That Eliminates 90% of Founder Mistakes
You're not making bad decisions because you're stupid. You're making them because you have no system and your nervous system is in survival mode.
I know that being a good business owner means I should ask a ton of questions and make it about the customer and not me. My problem: when I am dysregulated (nervous, excited, you name it) I stop asking and start assuming.
Instead of gathering information, I jump to conclusions. Instead of thinking clearly and reflecting, I operate on autopilot.
And even though I KNOW this about myself, even though I’ve studied nervous system regulation for years, trained under Tony Robbins, worked at Amazon: I still make this mistake! 🤯
Do you relate? Here’s what to do 👇🏽
The thing is when I am stressed, when stakes are high, when pressure is mounting my nervous system overrides my conscious mind. The stress equation 🚨
We don’t CHOOSE to make emotional decisions. Our biology does it for us. Great, I know.
If there’s no system it will happen over and over again, unfortunately.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of bad decisions, painful lessons and finally building a framework that actually works most of the time. (Because who are we kidding? I am human and nothing is ever perfect.)
Our mistakes emerge from two patterns:
Making emotional decisions (from fear, ego, urgency and not principles)
Changing decisions constantly (no consistency, team can’t execute, nothing sticks)
The root cause?
There’s no decision-making system. No time for reflection. We’re operating in fight-or-flight mode constantly, so our brains can’t distinguish rational from reactive.
Let me show you the framework that fixes this.
The Decision That Taught Me Everything
A few years ago, I had to make a critical hiring decision.
I was stressed. Overwhelmed. Desperate to fill the role.
And I made every mistake in the book:
I didn’t ask enough questions in the interview. I made assumptions about what the candidate could do based on their resume. I ignored red flags because I wanted to believe they were the right fit.
I hired from a dysregulated state. And it was a disaster.
The person couldn’t do the job. The team struggled. I spent months managing the fallout. Eventually, I had to let them go and start over.
Here’s what I realized:
The problem wasn’t my judgment. It was my STATE.
When I’m regulated (calm, clear, grounded) I ask the right questions. I gather data. I reflect before deciding.
When I’m dysregulated (stressed, rushed, reactive) I skip all of that. I go straight to autopilot. And autopilot is built on old patterns, assumptions and emotional triggers. I just want things to go away and be solved.
Problem is: no one makes good decisions from a bad state. Period. 🤝
Why Founders Make the Same Mistakes Repeatedly
Here’s what I see everywhere:
Founders operate in constant fight-or-flight mode. 😶🌫️
Every decision feels urgent. Every problem feels like a crisis. Every setback feels like a threat.
So they make decisions emotionally:
From fear (”If I don’t decide NOW, we’ll lose the opportunity”)
From ego (”I can’t admit this isn’t working, so I’ll double down”)
From urgency (”It must be”)
Then they change those decisions constantly:
Monday: “We’re focusing on X”
Wednesday: “Actually, Y is more important”
Friday: “Let’s pivot to Z”
The team can’t execute. Nothing sticks. Chaos compounds.
Why does this happen?
Because most founders have no decision-making framework.
They’re reinventing the wheel every time. Every decision feels new. They have no principles to guide them, no process to follow, no system to catch their biases.
So they rely on gut feeling, urgency and whatever their nervous system is telling them in that moment.
And their nervous system is usually screaming: REACT. NOW.
The Framework: How to Eliminate 90% of Mistakes
Here’s the system I’ve built (combining insights from Jeff Bezos, Ray Dalio, Tony Robbins and hard-earned personal lessons.)
It’s simple. And this is why it works. Lay the foundation which takes a little longer so you then can make decisions in split-seconds without loosing sleep over them or spiraling into overthinking.
STEP 1: Check Your State BEFORE You Decide
This is the gate. If you skip this, the rest doesn’t matter.
Before any important decision, ask yourself:
“On a scale of 1-10, how regulated am I right now?”
1-4 (Fight-or-flight mode): You’re stressed, reactive, operating from survival. DELAY THE DECISION.
5-7 (Functional but not optimal): You’re managing, but not clear. Use extra caution. Gather more input.
8-10 (Regulated and clear): You’re calm, grounded, rational. Proceed.
If you’re dysregulated, STOP.
Don’t make the decision yet. You’ll make it from fear, ego or urgency not clarity.
Instead:
Take 5 minutes to regulate (physiological sighs, walk, movement, breathwork)
Sleep on it (most decisions aren’t as urgent as they feel)
Talk it through with someone who’s NOT in survival mode
Only decide when you’re regulated.
This one step eliminates 50% of bad decisions. Trust me I’ve tried.
STEP 2: Ask the Bezos Question: Is This Reversible?
Jeff Bezos has a simple framework that changed how Amazonians makes decisions:
Type 1 Decisions (Irreversible):
You can’t easily undo them (hiring a co-founder, choosing your market, major pivots)
Approach: Go SLOW. Gather data. Consult widely. Reflect deeply.
Type 2 Decisions (Reversible):
You can change course if needed (pricing experiments, marketing channels, product features)
Approach: Go FAST. Test. Learn. Iterate. (Day 1 mentality)
Most decisions are Type 2. But founders treat them like Type 1 and start spiraling in overthinking mode.
STEP 3: Run It Through Your Principles Filter
This is where Ray Dalio’s approach comes in.
You can’t make consistent decisions without principles.
Principles are your non-negotiables. The values and beliefs that guide HOW you operate.
Examples (not one is 100% correct, it depends on how you want to operate!):
“We prioritize long-term impact over short-term wins”
“We default to transparency, even when it’s uncomfortable”
“We hire for values first, skills second”
Before making a decision, ask:
“Which of my principles applies here? And does this decision align with it?”
For people decisions (hiring, firing, promotions):
Values first (Do they align with our core values?)
Data second (What’s their track record? What evidence do we have?)
Intuition third (Does my gut say this is right?)
For strategic/business decisions (product, pricing, pivots):
Data first (What do the numbers say?)
Intuition second (What does my experience tell me?)
Principles always (Does this align with who we are and where we’re going?)
When you filter decisions through principles, you eliminate:
Shiny object syndrome (the new thing doesn’t align with your principles)
Ego-driven choices (your principles force you to be objective)
Inconsistency (every decision follows the same framework)
STEP 4: Identify the Traps You’re Most Vulnerable To
Even with a framework, you’ll face cognitive biases that sabotage decisions.
Here are the three MOST common traps founders fall into:
Trap #1: Confirmation Bias
What it is: You only look for data that supports what you already want to do.
The antidote:
Ask: “What evidence would prove me WRONG?”
Actively seek disconfirming data
Invite someone to argue the opposite position
Trap #2: Shiny Object Syndrome (The Woman in the Red Dress)
Alex Hormozi talks about this perfectly:
You’re driving toward your goal. Then you see something new and exciting (the woman in the red dress). You get distracted. You change direction. You chase the shiny thing.
Result: You never finish what you started.
The antidote:
Ask: “Does this align with my principles and long-term vision? Or is this just exciting right now?”
Set a “distraction waiting period” (If it’s still compelling in 30 days, reconsider. If not, ignore it.)
Track your pivots (If you’re changing direction every month, you’re not iterating you’re scattered.)
Trap #3: Ego Protection
Founders are wired to chase status and protect ego.
What it is: You can’t admit you made a bad decision, so you double down instead of pivoting.
The antidote:
Ask: “If I were advising a friend in this situation, what would I tell them to do?”
Separate your identity from your decisions (”I made a bad call” ≠ “I’m a bad founder”)
Build a culture where changing your mind is a strength, not weakness
STEP 5: Document the Decision and the Outcome
This is where most founders fail and where the real learning happens.
Ray Dalio built Bridgewater by documenting every decision, tracking outcomes, and refining principles over time.
Amazon does the same thing with “Lessons Learned” sessions at the end of every year (though most managers aren’t trained to do them well).
Here’s how to do it properly:
The Decision Journal Template:
After every major decision, document:
The decision: What did I decide?
The context: What was my state? (Regulated or dysregulated?) What information did I have?
The principle I applied: Which of my core principles guided this?
The outcome: What actually happened? (Review this 30/60/90 days later)
The lesson: What would I do differently next time? Do I need to adjust my principles?
Do this for 30 days.
You’ll start to see patterns:
“I make bad decisions when I’m stressed”
“I’m great at strategic decisions but terrible at people decisions”
“I keep falling for shiny object syndrome”
Once you SEE the pattern, you can CHANGE it.
STEP 6: Create Decision-Making Thresholds (So You’re Not the Bottleneck)
One of the biggest mistakes founders make: They try to make EVERY decision.
Result: Burnout. Bottleneck. Team can’t move without you.
The fix: Create decision-making thresholds.
Example:
Under €5K: Anyone on the team can decide (autonomy, speed)
€5K - €50K: Team discussion required (collaborative, but still fast)
Over €50K: Founder approval needed (strategic, high-stakes)
Customize this for YOUR business.
The point: Not every decision needs to run through you.
Define what DOES (irreversible, high-stakes, strategic) and what DOESN’T (reversible, low-cost, operational).
The Amazon Bar Raiser Lesson (And Why Pressure Makes You Hire Badly)
Here’s a real-world example of why this framework matters:
Amazon invented the Bar Raiser method to prevent teams from hiring too fast.
Why? Because when teams are under pressure, they lower the bar to relieve that pressure.
“We NEED someone now. This person is good enough. Let’s just hire them.”
The Bar Raiser forces a pause: Someone outside the team assesses whether the candidate actually raises the bar or just fills the seat.
This worked brilliantly (until the pandemic.)
Amazon grew exponentially. Pressure was insane. Hiring ramped up faster than the Bar Raiser process could handle.
Result: They hired too many people too fast. Quality dropped. And now they’re cutting employees massively.
The lesson:
Pressure makes you lower standards. Systems prevent that.
When you’re dysregulated, when urgency is high, when stakes feel existential you will make emotional decisions that feel right in the moment but destroy value long-term.
Your Move: Build Your Decision-Making System This Week
Here’s what I want you to do:
Action 1: Define Your Top 3 Decision-Making Principles
What are your non-negotiables? The values that guide HOW you decide?
Examples:
“Long-term impact > short-term wins”
“Transparency > comfort”
“Values > skills in hiring”
Write them down. Share them with your team.
Action 2: Start a Decision Journal
For the next 30 days, document every major decision using the template above.
Track:
What you decided
What state you were in
What principle you applied
What the outcome was
What you learned
Action 3: Classify Your Next 3 Pending Decisions
For each, ask:
Am I regulated or dysregulated right now?
Is this reversible (Type 2) or irreversible (Type 1)?
Which principle applies?
What trap am I most vulnerable to here?
Then decide using the framework, NOT your gut.
Let’s Build Your Decision-Making System Together
If you’re reading this and thinking:
“I know I’m making emotional decisions. I know I’m changing course too often. But I don’t know how to break the pattern.”
I’ve built this framework through years of mistakes, Amazon experience, Tony Robbins training and working with hundreds of founders.
I’m offering a free 30-minute Decision-Making Strategy Call. Learn how you can scale more sustsainbly.
Drop a comment: What’s the last bad decision you made? And were you regulated or dysregulated when you made it?
Be honest. That’s where the breakthrough starts. 🔥