Delegating decisions is one of the hardest parts of scaling as a founder.
That’s why many startups use decision memos to make decision-making more transparent and collaborative.
An empowered teammate writes a memo before making a call, sharing their thinking and inviting input from others. The goal isn’t just to explain their decision—it’s to improve it.
But one founder recently shared a concern with me:
“When my team writes memos, they get more sold on their idea and less open to input.”
There’s truth in this.
As I’ve written about before, teaching is believing—and when the purpose of the memo is to educate, it can entrench the author’s ideas.
And it’s not just teammates who fall into this trap.
Founders do it too.
By the time they present a strategic decision to their boards, their minds are often already made up. The goal shifts from seeking input to selling a conclusion.
So how do you avoid selling yourself on your own thinking when writing a decision memo? Here are three practices that can help.
1. Establish the problem space first
The right solution depends on what you’re optimising for.
For example, if the goal is speed, one option works best. If the goal is cost, another might win.
But how do you know what to optimise for? You need to identify the real problem you’re solving.
That’s why it pays to align with stakeholders on the problem before choosing the solution. Start your memo with the challenges you’re addressing and the trade-offs you’re optimising for—then move into solutions.
2. Always analyse three options
When we take decisions, we tend to fixate on our preferred option. We gather data to support it, then structure the memo to persuade others.
A simple antidote is to always present three possible options, each with pros and cons.
Exploring alternatives is the essence of decision-making—without options, there’s no real decision. And carefully weighing the benefits of other paths keeps your own mind more open to input.
3. Practice steel-manning
Steel-manning means presenting the strongest possible version of an opposing view—even if you don’t agree with it.
Most people do the opposite: they attack the weakest points of alternatives to make their own idea look stronger.
But focusing on the best arguments against your position is hard. It demands real intellectual honesty and it can feel like you’re giving up ground.
In reality, the opposite is often true: acknowledging the strongest counterarguments builds trust and leads to better decisions, even if you ultimately stick with your original choice.
Treat feedback as a gift
Decision memos are a powerful way to involve others in your thinking. But without care, they can trap you in your own logic.
By defining the problem first, presenting real options, and steel-manning the alternatives, you’ll avoid selling yourself too early—and instead create space for input that leads to better decisions.
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Originally published on August 20, 2025.
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