The Undo Button

Many decisions in life have an undo button. It can be liberating.

Many years ago I was buying a new printer. I went to the local tech store and found the printer aisle. So many choices. Which one to choose? Better color? longer ink? cheaper? How to choose? I decided this needed some research — after all, a good printer was a critical tool in my business, and my old printer had lasted 8 years! I went home to do a little more research and that’s when it really hit me.

Most decisions in life can actually be undone.

Suddenly whole mindset changed. Bad printer choice? Return it. The train of thought extended quickly to other choices too. Bad customer service? Shop somewhere else. And don’t get me started with the small stuff like what to wear in the morning or dinner choices. Those you can undo easily, or as the old adage goes. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

But what about costly items? Like a car?

Yup. Those can all be undone too. It just takes a little letting go. That car? Well, it can be sold or traded in for a different one. Sure it might cost money, but it’s not forever. Trading a car in for another does cost money, but at least there’s a new crack at satisfaction with the replacement. Even if it is a used car.

Another Undo in Action.

A while back I was leading a small software team. We got into a heated argument about the right way to proceed. After a few hours of debate, I just put my foot down. My chosen implementation would be the way forward. That night I pondered the discussion. I felt satisfied in using my experience and managerial authority to just make a call.

But one of my engineers, a really good one, had been pushing for a different approach. My mind wouldn’t let it go. In the morning, as I thought about it more, I realized he was right. His approach was better. I pulled the team back together in a small room. I fessed up that my way, was in fact not the best way. We should choose the other approach.

Unbeknownst to me, the team had spent the entire night implementing my way and was shocked to see my reversal. But, having been heard, they happily changed to the other way. The trust that was built from using that “undo” button lasted for years.

Fail Fast?!

If you’ve ever had the expression to “fail fast”? No one wants to fail, but here’s the thing about making decisions. The more you make the better you get. And the more you make about the same thing the better you get at making that kind of decision.

Or… the more it becomes obvious that some choices don’t actually matter. Like those dinner choices. They come every night. If it's a birthday or anniversary, then, by all means, plan and make it special. But otherwise, there is just another dinner on another night. The same is true in many professional situations as well. It just a matter of building up that experience.

But what about really really big choices? Like a house? Yup, those come with undo buttons too. Houses are hard. They bring emotional connection and cost lots of money. But if I’m unhappy, I now look at that as a kind of “restocking fee” rather than “why did I do that?”

Limits & Holes

Of course, not every choice has an undo button. Anytime others are involved, spouses, relationships, children, or being truly hurtful, then it is no longer about one person. At the very least, pressing the “undo” requires sensitivity to who can be hurt or why. Sure you can say “sorry.” But sorry has limits, just like nails pulled out of a wall leave holes. Holes leave scars even if patched up.

And some seemingly quick decisions don’t have to undo either — like that last drink before getting behind the wheel. There’s no undo for that when people are hurt.

Roads Taken

Yet for most of the time, when it’s just about “stuff” (and undoing it), plunge forward. The funny thing about an undo button is getting comfortable using it. Or at least knowing that you can undo it — if you need to.

As the great Yogi Berra once said:

When there’s a fork in the road. Take it.

So there you have it. If you’re struggling with how to make the call. Don’t fret it. Just pack an Undo button in your pocket.

special thanks: Kathryn, Lisle, Sid, & Margarita