Let’s circle back ❌

Hi Everyone,

In many meetings this week, you will hear things like "Let's circle back", "We should think about that," or "We need a strategy for this."

Each one usually stands in for a decision nobody wants to make.

Today, we're sharing the phrases to listen for in your next few meetings, what each one usually means, and what to say instead.

The three phrases to listen for

1. The soft no

"We'll see." "Nothing final yet." "Still thinking that through."

Most of the time, these lines mean the decision is made. The answer is no, and we don't want to deal with the reaction yet.

Say no instead, in whichever form fits:

• "We're not doing this, and here's why."
• "The answer is no for this quarter. If our numbers change, we can look again in January."
• "I've decided against it. I know that's not what you were hoping for, so let's talk it through."

And if you're the one hearing "we'll see," you can ask for the honest version without forcing anyone into a corner:

• "Should I plan as if it's a no for now?"
• "What would need to change for this to become a yes?"

2. The unowned topic

"Let's circle back." "Let's put a pin in that."

These usually mean nobody in the room wants the next step. Nobody rejected the topic, and nobody took it on. It stays on the agenda until someone owns it or someone says no.

Before the conversation moves on, try one of these:

• "Who takes this, and when does it come back?"
• "Can you own this one and make a recommendation in two weeks?"
• "If nobody wants this, let's take it off the list now."

3. The aspiration

"We need a strategy for X." "We should be more strategic about Y."

A strategy says what you will do and what you will not, and "we need one" postpones both choices. So in the end, nobody can take action following that sentence, because it doesn't contain a first step.

Turn the wish into a first step:

• "For X, we're going to do this first."
• "What's the one decision we'd need to make this month for X to move?"
• "Can you bring two or three options for X to the next meeting, with a recommendation?"

How to tell waiting from avoiding

A decision you haven't made can't be wrong. Christopher Anderson reviewed the research on decision avoidance and found that people postpone mostly out of fear of future regret, plus the difficulty of the trade-off itself.

But some decisions do need more information. You can tell real waiting from avoiding by checking for a name and a date.

"Marta brings the cost comparison next Thursday and we decide then" is real waiting. "Let's give it more thought" has no name, no date, and no new information on the way.

Try this in your next three meetings

Listen for the phrases above in what your team says and in what you say.

You probably already know which topic keeps coming back. In the next meeting, close that one first — decide, postpone with a name and a date, or say no.

Go deeper

👉 Jeff Bezos: 2016 Letter to Shareholders — use the 70% rule and "disagree and commit" the next time a decision is waiting for more information.

👉 Bridgespan: Roger Martin's Unconventional Wisdom — run his quick test on your own strategy: say the opposite of each choice, and check whether it's stupid.

👉 McKinsey: Three keys to faster, better decisions — read this when decisions in your company feel slow; it covers who should decide what and how fast teams keep quality high.

Coming up tomorrow

In tomorrow's issue, you'll learn who to call first when your company gets hacked, and why it isn't your IT person.

P.S. Forward this around your team. Everyone's said or will say at least one of these this week.