A couple years ago, a founder told me he makes 300 decisions a day.
Not big ones. Small ones. Logistical details. Nits.
His team couldn’t decide anything on their own. Every question came to him. Every problem landed on his desk. Every meeting required him in the room.
He was the bottleneck and he knew it.
We talked about it a few times. He’d nod. He’d agree something had to change. He’d go back to his company and insert himself into three more things by Thursday.
He never became a client.
Not because the work wasn’t right for him. Because seeing the problem and being ready to do something about it are two different things. He wasn’t ready. Maybe he still isn’t.
But here’s what I’ve noticed about the founders who are ready:
They’re not in more pain than he was. They’re not smarter. They’re not more motivated.
They’re just willing to look at the thing underneath the decisions — the belief, running mostly out of view, that if they stop being the one who figures everything out, something important will collapse.
The belief that if they aren’t the smart one, they don’t deserve to be the owner.
That belief, or a version of it, has usually been running since long before the company existed.
The idea that your value is based on your performance. That if you are successful, only your hard work justifies that success.
Seeing it doesn’t fix it overnight.
But seeing it does let you take the next step.
If something in this landed for you, you might be ready to take that step. Letting go of your need to plan and control everything.
I share something I call the Pick Now Decision Sprint. It’s not a hack, or even a tool. But when you are looking to get clear on what is actually getting in your way, it’s simple, powerful, and effective.
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