Slow Decisions

Sep 11, 2024

Jeff Bezos argues that a slow decision is often worse for your company than a wrong one. A company searching for a repeatable business model should optimize for speed of iteration. The faster you can iterate, the better. Taking too long to make decisions directly conflicts with what companies should prioritize in their early stages. Therefore, it's frequently better to decide quickly, implement, and learn from that decision to course correct rapidly.

However, there's an important distinction. Bezos categorizes decisions into two types: one-way doors (irreversible decisions) and two-way doors (reversible decisions). For reversible decisions, which likely constitute the vast majority, you should move fast instead of overthinking. For irreversible decisions, you should be more considerate, as they can steer your company into a tougher position.

Generally, I approach most reversible decisions by trusting my gut feeling. I know my intuition is often smarter than my analytical mind, and it's usually right. You can always adjust course with new information as it emerges. Protect the speed at which you move at all costs.