Decision MakingFramework I Use & Teach

Single Decisive Reason

If you need more than one reason, you’re convincing yourself. Great decisions need only one.

What it is

The Single Decisive Reason is a decision-making principle borrowed from Nassim Taleb: if you need more than one reason to do something, you probably shouldn’t do it. The best decisions - the obvious ones - need only one powerful reason. When you find yourself stacking up a list of justifications, you’re not deciding. You’re convincing.

💡Why it matters

We’ve all been in those meetings where someone presents a decision and backs it up with seven reasons. It feels thorough. It’s actually a red flag. By invoking more than one reason, you are trying to convince yourself. Obvious decisions need only one. If the single reason is strong enough, nothing else matters. If it’s not, no amount of additional reasons will make it right.

🛠️How to use it

The next time you face a decision, force yourself to articulate one reason - and only one - for doing it. If that reason is compelling enough on its own, proceed. If you find yourself reaching for a second reason to bolster the first, pause. Ask yourself: is the first reason actually strong enough? If you need a list, you’re not convinced. And if you’re not convinced, you shouldn’t act.

💬My experience with it

I’ve shared this framework with hundreds of founders and it’s consistently one of the most powerful. Founders especially struggle with this because they’re natural optimists - they can always find reasons to do something. The Single Decisive Reason forces rigour. I use it for hiring (“Why this person?”), for strategy (“Why this market?”), and for personal decisions (“Why this move?”). When the answer is clear and singular, I move fast. When I’m building a list, I know I’m not ready.

🚀Try this today

Think about a decision you’ve been weighing. Write down every reason for doing it. Now cross out every reason except the strongest one. Read that single reason aloud. If it’s compelling on its own, decide. If it needs company, dig deeper before committing.

Related frameworks

Strategy

NCTs →

Narratives, Commitments, Tasks - the goal-setting framework that replaced OKRs for me.

Leadership

5 Jobs of a CEO →

What should a CEO actually spend their time on? This framework answers that question.

Career

Luck as a System →

Luck isn’t random. Increase your surface area and watch serendipity follow.