Monday MGMT Minute: Getting Sign Off On Big Decisions

Read time: 1 minute

Some decisions in life are bigger than others.

• Who we marry.

• Where we live.

• When to quit.

And the only thing worse than a bad decision?

An unmade one.

When I look back, even bad decisions gave me data.
Unmade decisions just gave me anxiety.

So I developed rules to ensure I don't get stuck.

One of them I call "My Three Co-signers."

I ask them to sign off on my hardest decisions:

1. 12-year-old me

2. 85-year-old me

3. My wife and kids

Why those 3?

12-year-old me is the age we start to see more contours of the real world, but he still through a lens of wonder, creativity, and optimism.

85-year-old me offers a legacy lens of joy, love, and service. He's well-distanced from the immediate consequences and considers the long-term.

My family is my north star. If I'm going to allow anyone's opinion to influence me, it's theirs. And my decisions should make them nothing short of proud.

When my decision doesn't get 100% approval, I revisit it.

The whispers from my co-signers are typically wise.

I just need to listen to them.

Lead on,
Dave

PS - I dropped last week’s playbook on Saturday morning.

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It was our most popular (and responded to) playbook in 2024. Check it out!