You're facing self-doubt in critical business decisions. How will you navigate under pressure?

Entrepreneurship is not like traditional management. There's no standard playbook. It's about charting your own path - to create your own story of multiple firsts. As Elon Musk days - Being an entrepreneur is like eating glass and staring into an abyss. So, one has to figure out what works or doesn't work for him/her and take risks accordingly. It really doesn't matter what others think or say. Listen and evaluate by all means, but don't forget that it is you on the ground.

When you're facing self-doubt in critical decisions, the key is to zoom out for clarity. Think about this: it's not about making the perfect decision, it's about moving forward with conviction. Pressure can distort your thinking, making everything feel like it’s all or nothing. Instead, trust the process, not just the outcome. In moments like this, rely on facts and intuition together. Facts give you grounding, and intuition guides you when data can't. Also, lean on your team or trusted mentors. Sometimes, it’s not just about your judgment, but a collective insight. And even if the decision turns out less than perfect, adaptability is what makes businesses thrive.

High-stakes decisions often test our ability to remain calm and focused. One effective approach is reframing pressure as an opportunity for growth. By breaking down the decision into smaller, manageable steps and focusing on the immediate task, it's easier to maintain clarity. Additionally, relying on a well-built support network or seeking diverse perspectives can offer fresh insights and reduce the weight of making the choice alone. Cultivating mindfulness, whether through deep breathing or short pauses, helps to ground the mind, allowing for more thoughtful and confident decision-making.

Self-doubt arises when we think there's a *right* and a *wrong* answer, when it's always about shades of grey. I ask my clients to think about a time when they made a decision that had a particularly beneficial outcome, and a scenario that didn't work out so well ... 1) What were the circumstances/what was at stake? 2) What were your thoughts/beliefs? 3) How did you FEEL? ... (hint: what you think or believe about the circumstances drives how you feel, and how you feel drives your actions, which lead to your results.) And finally 4) What did you learn? This puts them back in the driver's seat to help them recognize that they can chose how they want to think about the situation and that ultimately is what determines the outcome.

When facing self-doubt in business decisions, I rely on a decision-making spreadsheet I created during a time in my life where I couldn't see the forest for the trees —and it’s stuck with me ever since. List your options at the top of the columns, then write out the benefits and drawbacks of each in the rows of the first column. For every benefit the option has, give it 1 point. For every drawback the option has, give it minus 1 point. When you total the columns, the option with the most points usually points to the best decision, objectively. It may seem too simple, but I’ve used it for everything from hiring to partnerships to selling companies, and it consistently cuts through the emotional noise to reveal the right choice.