Two-way door

Legend has it that AWS — the product that’s responsible for over half of Amazon’s annual profits — might have never happened without the two-way door philosophy.

Picture this: you’re standing in a room surrounded by doors — each representing a decision you need to make. Every door is different — ranging from big and intimidating, to small and inviting.

How do you know which one to choose?

Many of us — especially the over-thinkers among us — treat every decision as if it were a life-or-death matter. As if all the doors were a one-way door that, once stepped through, locks behind us forever.

But, in reality, most of them do not lock behind you — they are a two-way doors. You can take a step through, look around, and if things don’t work, simply step back and choose another door.

Which brings us back to Amazon…

The story goes, as they were contemplating the idea of launching AWS, they ultimately recognized it as a two-way door decision. If it failed to get interest from the outside world, they could always use the initial boost in capacity for their own internal growth.

Recognizing that it was a two-way door — not a one-way door — allowed them to be decisive and led to one of the most successful business ventures in history.

This one-way/two-way door philosophy is such a powerful concept, because being a thoughtful and calculated decision-maker is a good thing… But it can become a curse when we fail to consider the weight of our decisions first and treat every decision as if it’s a one-way door.

You’ve probably had no less than a dozen ideas in the last 6 months of ways to improve the business. Have you tried any of them?

Indecision is deciding to do nothing — and as fast as business moves, it’s a surefire-way to get left behind.