Strategic frameworks for knowing when to persist and when to walk away
The decision to persist or quit is one of the highest-leverage choices an executive makes. Get it right, and resources flow to high-return opportunities. Get it wrong, and sunk costs trap capital, talent, and attention in failing initiatives.
This 14-part series examines the cognitive biases and strategic frameworks that determine decision quality under uncertainty. Each post includes diagnostic tools for evaluating commitment decisions.
Start with Post 1 for the foundational framework, or navigate directly to a specific decision pattern.
Why "never quit" is systematically bad advice and when grit becomes liability.
How confirmation bias keeps you in failing strategies by distorting the evidence.
Solving the hard problem first: why sequencing matters more than effort.
How softened language obscures strategic reality and delays exit decisions.
Pre-commitment to exit conditions before sunk costs distort judgment.
Condition-based vs time-based decision frameworks for high-uncertainty contexts.
Why we overvalue what we have and undervalue what we could have.
When quitting threatens who you are: the identity cost of strategic exit.
Why external perspective is structural, not optional, for exit decisions.
Why not acting feels safer than acting: the hidden cost of inaction.
How targets blind us to better opportunities and trap resources.
The value of flexibility vs the power of commitment: when to keep doors open.
Reversible vs irreversible decisions: how much deliberation a choice deserves.
How small strategic exits preserve resources for high-return opportunities.
If you're evaluating a major commitment decision and need structured analysis, we can help.
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