Phron Weekly #2: Amazon's Two-way Door Decision-making Framework

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the second edition of Phron Weekly! This week's review explores Rum's timeless words on personal growth and highlights how you can make efficient decisions using Amazon's decision-making framework.

Reflections and Growth

Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet and mystic known for his timeless wisdom on love, self-discovery, and spiritual unity. I like this quote as it illustrates a shift in perspective that comes with personal growth and maturity.

So what does it mean? First, if you truly want to get somewhere, you must work consistently. Most things in life are marathons, not sprints. Therefore:

Cleverness refers to intellectual sharpness, quick thinking, and the desire to apply one's knowledge and skills to affect change externally. Wisdom is a deep understanding of human nature that comes from experience. It recognizes the limitations of trying to change the world without first addressing one's own flaws.

When we are younger and less experienced, we may believe that the key to a better world lies in changing others or reshaping society. This outward focus tends to overlook the complexity of the world and the challenges of influence.

As we gain wisdom, we begin to understand that the most remarkable and sustainable change starts within ourselves. By working on our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, we improve our lives and positively influence those around us.

Why changing oneself matters:

• We have direct control over ourselves, not over others. Therefore, we are responsible for ensuring that our actions align with the values we seek in the world.
• When we embody the changes we wish to see, we become authentic examples for others to follow.
• Personal transformation can create a ripple effect, influencing friends, family, and communities to transform themselves.

Your Next Move

This week, consider areas in your life where you seek change. Are you focused on external factors beyond your control, or are you taking steps to grow personally? Question the things that you believe are in your control. How much of that is in your control versus out?

Business Insights

Open Doors, Open Minds: Improve Your Decision-Making

This week, Amazon announced a policy requiring workers to return to the office five days a week (link to memo). The policy was sent out in a letter by the CEO, Andy Jassy, explaining how they have observed that i's better for Amazo's culture to return to the office.

What I found most interesting was that Jassy mentioned how adding managers over the past couple of years added layers that hindered decision-making. In the recent CEO's memo, he stated:

Here, Jassy is referencing the "One-way and Two-way door" decision-making mental model that Amazon uses across the organization:

Consider every decision you make as entering one of two types of doors. One-way door decisions you can't easily reverse. Once you walk through the door, it's difficult to find a way back, so these types of decisions should be made carefully. These decisions have long-term consequences and require strategic thinking and deliberation. Two-way door decisions can be reversed. You can walk through the door, and if you change your mind, you can easily go back. Since these decisions are easily reversed, they should be made quickly or automatically. Speeding up low-risk decision-making allows you to focus your energy on more important decisions.

Where a lot of organizations often go wrong is having 'one-size-fits-all' decision-making. They either view most problems uniformly as one-way doors, resulting in slow progress, or two-way doors, resulting in recklessness and more problems down the road.

I've found that I tend to view most problems as one-way doors. While this habit has helped me to be very intentional with my decisions, it also takes me a long time to take action. Now, I try to identify the two-way door decisions that exist so that I can maintain an efficient lifestyle. This shift has broadened my exposure to insights as I spend less time on two-way door decisions and more time trying, failing, and pivoting forward.

You can do three things to enhance your decision-making:

• When making one-way decisions, try to limit your exposure to risks. Find ways to test the waters without risking too much.
• Transform a one-way door decision into a two-way one using creative problem-solving. You can utilize introductory offers or trials to help limit the barriers to returning.
• Be quick with two-way door decisions. Those who can quickly decide, learn, and adapt will understand the environment faster than someone who tries hard to study it.

Some action steps for you:

• Consider if you make primarily one-way door or two-way door decisions.
• Start to be conscious of your decisions and the category they fall into. Do you act appropriately, given the type of door?
• Read my article on the subject that is coming out later this week to learn more.

Fun Fact: Did you know Jeff Bezos used doors as desks in Amazon's early days to save money? This habit inspired Amazon's “door” decision-making model, reflecting their scrappy, efficient approach. emphasizes the value of persistence and steady progress over speed and overconfidence.

Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.