Claire Hughes Johnson
Don't Get Stuck on the Decision
Inspired by Claire Hughes Johnson episode
Claire Hughes Johnson told Stripe employees: If you don't know who the decision maker is, it's probably you. Decide and move.
Claire Hughes Johnson ran onboarding at Stripe and her advice was basically: if you're not sure who should decide, it's you. Just decide. Don't slow everyone down waiting for permission that's never coming.
Preschool selection works the same way. You're on your seventh tour, comparing outdoor play philosophies like you're defending a dissertation. Meanwhile your kid has been on the waitlist so long they're almost ready for middle school.
The research phase becomes the decision. You're not gathering information anymore—you're just avoiding the moment where you have to pick one and find out if you're wrong.
Here's the thing: stuck is worse than wrong. Pick the place with the weird art teacher. If it's a disaster, you'll know by October. But right now? Your kid is eating another sleeve of crackers for lunch because you're still reviewing curriculum frameworks.
