Analyzing my most important business decisions from the last 15 years revealed something striking. Even more unsettling was my failure to notice that I kept repeating the same behaviors and making similar mistakes.
It really is possible to repeat the same behavior without noticing it. We all have blind spots. Some of mine that got me into trouble many times were fleeing from discomfort and making critical decisions under pressure.
We are all vulnerable to making mistakes. It doesn’t mean we’re not intelligent or capable of doing better. It means that our biology can influence us at decision-making moments without us realizing it.
We are still responsible for our choices, but understanding how our biology works can help us replace guilt with curiosity and see ourselves not as flawed or incompetent, but simply as human.
The nervous system’s job is to protect you. It predicts what happens when you do X or Y by drawing on past experiences from your personal life and childhood, not just from the business environment. It also connects your experiences with your beliefs, emotions, and thoughts.
Most of this process happens unconsciously and independently of our willpower. As a result, we may be sure that we know what we are doing when in fact our nervous system state has a significant influence on our decisions.
To change that—to retrain our nervous system so it works for and not against us—we need to make the behavioral patterns in our decision-making visible.
Here is an exercise designed to help you do that.
Exercise
Although this exercise takes some time (it won’t be a 60-second practice), I assure you it is worth every minute as it can help you see your blind spots and recognize patterns that may lead to costly mistakes.
In a notebook or on your computer, create a simple table.
Start by writing down a few of your most important business decisions over the past 10 years. Focus on those that caused you financial or personal losses (here lie some of the most important and valuable lessons).
When you have your list ready, reflect on one decision at a time. Recall as clearly as possible the situation, available choices, emotions, and thoughts you had when making the decision.
Then, in the next columns, for every decision, write down the patterns that were at work back then (e.g., ignoring red flags, acting from fear, panic under pressure, chasing money, fleeing from discomfort, not knowing yourself, and so on). Add your own descriptions as you see the patterns emerging. One pattern per column. If patterns repeat, keep the same patterns in the same column.
When you finish, look at the patterns. Do you see where your blind spots are? Can you recall the decision-making process behind those decisions and spot the moments when your nervous system may have influenced your choices?
This exercise and reflection on your findings can help you recognize patterns behind past decisions and notice them earlier in the future, potentially reducing financial, emotional, and relational costs.
When you focus on your most costly past decisions in the exercise, I encourage you to do the same for your best decisions and identify their patterns. You might find your discoveries surprising.
Best,
Wojciech
P.S. What's one reaction you keep repeating as a founder, even though you know it's not helping?
P.P.S. If you’re exploring how your biology affects your work, you might find these two recent pieces helpful: How a dysregulated nervous system costs you thousands and a quick tool for stopping a stress spike in high-stakes moments in 60 seconds.