Startup CEOs Make Millions of Decisions

December 22, 2009

The job of startup CEO is all about making decisions. Lots and lots of decisions.

We tend to focus on and remember big decisions — over-emphasizing their importance in the grand scheme of things. But the trick to being a successful startup CEO is mastering the art of micro-decision making.

Micro-decisions are small decisions — the type that we make tens or hundreds of times per day. And startup CEOs have to make more decisions than most people. I often think about how important all those micro-decisions really are, and how the best startup CEOs consistently move the ball forward, inch by inch, through the power and leverage of micro-decisions.

  1. Micro-decisions are all about delegating. As a startup CEO you can’t do everything yourself, it’s impossible. So you have to delegate effectively and quickly. Remember: indecision kills startups.
  2. Micro-decisions are about prioritization. Startup CEOs have to prioritize their own tasks and time insanely well, but also prioritize for everyone else too. You have to prioritize on-the-fly, and recognize when something warrants a micro-decision versus more attention.
  3. Micro-decisions are about getting things done. An unproductive startup CEO will kill the company. Startup CEOs are often the visionaries, but you have to balance that with flat-out, hardcore, getting shit done.
  4. Micro-decisions are combined to make a difference. You’d be surprised how small decisions can make a big impact. String together a few small decisions and suddenly you’ve had a huge influence on where things are going.
  5. Micro-decisions can’t be ignored. You can’t ignore small decisions as unimportant. And you can’t delay them either. They have to be quick, pulled together with an overall master plan, and executed on.

Startup CEOs have to make millions of decisions. In large part, their job is to act as the final decision maker on things. That likely includes all the major decisions on vision, product strategy, go-to-market strategy, financing, etc. But just as important are all the micro-decisions that have to be made to keep a business operating and pointing in the right direction. You might think that a startup is all about moving from major milestone to major milestone in a crazy, rollercoaster sort of way (and to some degree that’s true!), but it’s really much more about taking individual steps (often many at once, in parallel), plugging away – decision-by-decision.

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Comments
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  • Even the simplest business start ups require so many decisions. My carpet cleaning business is a one man shop with 2 forms of advertising and I'm making 100s of decisions per week. I hope to expand and delegate in the near future. Thanks
  • Decisions of a CEO make a professional worthy of occupying the CEO's chair. No place better than this to mark and specify what decisions are and their importance.
  • Making decisions is very important :) Good article.
  • Right on my friend. Incremental is the way to go.
  • As an owner of a smaller company I can attest to #2 and #3. In a recent survey of top level company exec's. The number one determining factor for hiring management is their ability to fully complete tasks that are of the highest priority.
  • I agree that they have a lot of decisions to make...much more than other people...but that's why they have bigger salaries than most people - of course, if they make good decisions and startup becomes successful...
  • Most startup CEOs don't have bigger salaries. Often times they work for free or certainly at a reduced rate than what they could earn on the open market. That's the trade-off they make for equity and aiming to hit home runs with their startups.
  • Its all about making that One right decision that will make your company succeed and flourish all the way to the top!
  • Actually, I think about it in quite the opposite way - it's about making all the right small decisions, step by step, versus making the one big decision that's going to "guarantee" success.
  • Yea - you are right about the decisions, but finally this is their work and that's what for they receive money!
  • barsandnightclubsaustralia
    Brilliant article!!!! As someone involved in a startup, the biggest issue I have is the fact that there is no precedent within the business to guide the decision making process.

    Excellent article and blog I shall read on !!!!!
  • These decisions are life making decisions. It make you or break you especially if you are making important decisions for your company.
  • Start up is all about doing something in order to establish yourself in the market. And thus it is required and understood that the CEO ends up make 100s of decision. Because at time number of people working in the business shall be handful and a single person may be wearing different hats in a day.
  • A great post man. Its true that there are like a million decisions to be made - some given a lot of thought and time, some others. There's another decision - deciding what decision to give more thinking time and thought!!!
  • Good article. It is so true that in a start up you are required to make millions of decisions. The best way to move beyond this is to create a system that will run by itself so that when the time is right the CEO will be able to delegate lesser tasks
  • Jeff,

    I couldn't agree more. Delegation is the key to getting things going. Of course, to get it off the ground, on person making decisions may be enough, but for longevity and success delegation becomes key down the road. I enjoyed it Ben
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