Applying My Decision-Making Framework
How I’m using four decision-making frameworks to answer one of the hardest questions of my career: Do I stay, or do I leave?
There’s a moment in every high-stakes decision where the noise becomes deafening. And lately, for me, that moment keeps repeating.
After a brutal April and a renewed commitment to stay at Tesla in early May, I thought I had made peace. I even found some joy again. But two weeks later, it returned—that weight, that question. The trigger? A familiar phrase from my manager: “The ball is in your court.”
It shattered something inside me. Because when a leader says that, without understanding the depth of your contributions or advocating on your behalf—it feels like being handed a burden, not a baton.
So here I am again, returning to the question: Should I stay? Or is it time to leave?
And this time, I’m not making the decision based on just one lens. I’m using all four decision-making frameworks I’ve developed over time:
1. Outcome-Based Decision Making
These are the decisions made on external metrics or events. In the past, it was simple: If Tesla’s stock price hits X, I’ll stay. But I now realize that’s shortsighted. Outcomes are complex. So I’ve layered in more thoughtful outcomes:
Promotion or Raise: If a raise or promotion comes through by a certain date, that could be a staying point.
Project Launch: If I see through the successful launch of this vehicle program, that may mark a natural endpoint.
Company Response: I’ve given my leaders visibility—if they value my work and act on it, that’s data in itself.
The key with outcome-based decisions is to communicate clear conditions ahead of time. That gives others a chance to respond, and it gives me clarity on where I stand.
2. Information-Based Decision Making
This is where my strategic mind lives: gathering advice, modeling trade-offs, seeking mentor input, reviewing peer feedback.
But I also know the trap: information can be infinite. The more I seek, the more I defer the decision.
To counter that, I’ve introduced an optimal stopping rule—based on the 37% principle. If I give myself 3 months to make the decision, I take the first 1 month to gather information. After that, I stop seeking and start deciding.
The trick isn’t to find the perfect answer. It’s to choose when to stop looking.
3. Emotion-Based Decision Making
We often discount emotions in decision-making—but they’re information too. When I break down after a one-on-one with my manager, that matters. When I feel fulfilled after mentoring someone or seeing a vision come to life, that matters too.
Emotional decisions are dangerous when they’re reactive. But when they’re felt over time—when you wake up day after day with the same gut instinct—they’re often the most honest signal of all. In my current role, I’ve broken down time and time again when I had 1-1 with my manager. I analyzed this pattern, dug a little deeper, and I found that the root cause wasn’t the work I did or the company.
So I checked in daily with different questions:
Do I still want to stay at Tesla?
Do I enjoy the work I do?
Do I enjoy the people that surround me?
Do I feel good?
If the answer was yes, I stayed put and kept the status quo?
If the answer is no for multiple days in a row—especially after the outcome windows close—that’s the gut telling me it’s time to move on.
4. Alignment-Based Decision Making
This is the newest and most powerful filter.
It asks: Does this decision align with who I want to become?
I’ve proposed a bold new initiative to leadership, one that taps into my strengths: vision, systems-building, empowering teams. It’s aligned with the impact I want to have, and the type of leadership I believe in. But my current program manager role isn’t amplifying those strengths—it’s spotlighting my weaknesses.
Alignment is where values meet action. If staying at Tesla aligns with my long-term growth and purpose, then that’s reason enough to endure some pain. But if it doesn’t, then even the best raise or outcome won’t justify staying.
The Final Synthesis
These four lenses—Outcome, Information, Emotion, Alignment—are not meant to be used in isolation. They interact. They check each other. They refine clarity over time.
And for a decision as complex as this, that’s what’s required.
Outcome sets the threshold.
Information builds context.
Emotion brings honesty.
Alignment brings purpose.
I continue to expand on how I’m making this decision and asked AI to critique my framework. The response was eye-opening, and I’ll need more time to add this toolset to my framework.
Additional Decision-Making Modes You Might Consider
Energy-Based Decision Making
Ask yourself: Which path gives me energy? Not safety, not recognition—just aliveness. You already know what drains you. What fuels you?Regret Minimization Framework (Bezos-style)
From the perspective of your 80-year-old self: Which path will I regret not taking? This helps cut through the noise and anchor in long-term values.Time-Weighted Valuation
Ask yourself: Where will my time matter more right now? One hour spent mentoring, traveling with family, or writing your PhD application may outweigh 10 hours tweaking decks for programs you no longer believe in.
Calling-Based Decision Making
Sometimes, it’s not about outcomes or even alignment. It’s about something whispering to you that this next mountain is yours to climb. That whisper is faint—but it’s in your gut, not your spreadsheet.
So as I continue forward, I’m not just making a decision. I’m creating a new standard for how I make decisions—with depth, reflection, and clarity.
If you’re facing a crossroads of your own, maybe this helps:
Don’t just make a smart decision. Make a whole one.
And when all align—that’s when you’ll know.