MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Situation

Operations

Identify one recurring founder task to automate or delegate this week—free time for traction.

Check your workflow—what’s one needless step you can remove to speed things up?

Revisit one process checklist—shorten or update anything outdated.

Ask a teammate: “What’s one operational task that slows you down more than it should?”

Time one recurring activity—can you finish it faster using a template or tool?

Review your backlog—delete any item older than 30 days that no longer adds value.

When did your workflows feel effortless—what steps made them smooth?

What area do you keep reinventing—what system or tool is missing?

Recall a missed deadline—what operational gap caused it most?

Which processes have grown bloated—are they adding value or just steps?

How consistent is your approach to recurring tasks—do others know what to expect?

When do you feel most in operational flow—and when does drag peak?

Map your weekly founder tasks—group them and spot the biggest time drain.

Pick one repeated task and document it—ask a teammate to test handoff clarity.

Spend one hour building a template you’ve been working around manually.

Ask your team to vote for the messiest process—lead a redesign sprint.

Pilot a weekly check-in focused only on operations—what’s working, what’s breaking?

Run a task audit—highlight items to batch, drop, or streamline.

Ask: “What’s one founder task I do that could be streamlined another way?”

Have a peer founder walk through your workflow—where do they hesitate or get lost?

Share a recent workflow with a mentor—ask, “Where would you streamline this?”

Run a poll with your team: which process wastes the most time right now?

Invite a junior teammate to shadow your admin work—what fresh ideas arise?

Ask cross-functional teammates where your team creates unintentional bottlenecks.

Reframe “I’m just hustling” to “I’m building repeatable systems for real speed.”

Instead of “That’s how we do it,” ask “What’s the purpose of this step?”

Reframe operations not as background, but as the hidden engine of outcomes.

Shift from “It works for me” to “Does it work for those relying on it?”

View messy ops not as failure, but as signals for redesign.

Replace “fix it later” with “how do we prevent it next time?”

Track how often you answer the same ops question—what should be documented?

Watch how long it takes your team to find shared files—does the system help or hinder?

Observe where workflows stall—handoffs, approvals, or unclear next steps?

Monitor system use—are tools applied as intended or being worked around?

Track repeated last-minute scrambles—are they planning or tool issues?

Pay attention to repeated mistakes—are they caused by weak processes?

Decision-making

Identify one decision you’ve been postponing—write the risk of waiting, then choose.

Use a “Yes / No / Later” filter to triage every decision currently on your desk.

Revisit a recent small decision—was it intentional or by default? Note what you’d change.

Write down three criteria that define what a “good founder decision” looks like.

Ask a peer founder to sanity-check one decision you’re overthinking—note their input.

Block 15 minutes to review a past misstep—what choice could have changed the outcome?

Recall a fast decision that worked—what signals helped you trust it?

When have you overanalyzed something trivial—why did it feel important then?

What choices feel easiest for you—and which create friction or doubt?

Are you more comfortable with reversible or irreversible calls—and how does that show up?

How often do you decide based on pressure versus your own reasoning?

When did you last reverse course on new data—and how did it feel?

Keep a one-week decision log—record choices, reasons, and results.

Before your next major choice, write three options beyond yes/no.

Run a quick “pre-mortem” with a mentor—what could derail your current plan?

Ask two advisors for opposite takes on one choice—reflect on the tension.

Lead your team through a decision matrix—compare criteria, weights, and risks.

Force a decision today on one issue stuck over a week—commit and move.

Ask a mentor: “What’s one decision I made well this month, and why?”

Review one past choice with your team—what did you learn, and what would change?

Present a tough decision to a peer founder—what do they see that you missed?

Ask feedback on your framing: “Did I explain the tradeoffs clearly in that choice?”

Ask your team: “Where do we get stuck in decisions—and what’s really causing it?”

Share a recent choice in a retro—what helped or hindered alignment?

Reframe “I can’t decide yet” to “What would make me 60% confident to move now?”

Change “I might be wrong” to “Let’s test fast and learn quicker.”

Recast mistakes not as failures, but as experiments with valuable learning.

Shift from “What’s safest?” to “What’s most aligned with my goals?”

Instead of “I need certainty,” ask “What’s the minimum clarity to proceed?”

Reframe choices not as outcomes, but as bets—what am I willing to test?

Notice when decisions are delayed—what fears or patterns hold them back?

Track how long it takes to close action loops—are choices really being finalized?

Watch how peers structure choices—what filters or methods do they use?

Listen to your self-talk before deciding—are you chasing safety or clarity?

Notice when emotions override facts in choices—where does that show up?

Monitor how priorities shift mid-project—are they reactive or intentional?

Structure

Sketch your current team setup—are roles, reporting lines, and gaps clear?

Identify one role where ownership is unclear—clarify who decides by end of day.

Review your team’s goal format—does it reflect how accountability really happens?

Update one task list or role description to match reality on the ground.

Ask your team if everyone knows who they report to—listen for clarity gaps.

Define in one clear line the core purpose of your founder role—does it match daily work?

When have you seen lean structures help founders thrive—what made it effective?

When has unclear ownership slowed progress—what was missing?

How does your current setup help—or hinder—collaboration across roles?

Recall a time you felt underused—was it unclear roles or blocked authority?

What parts of your role are assumed, not defined—and how does that affect clarity?

Recall when your structure shifted—how did it affect ownership or results?

Clarify who owns your top five priorities—write names and roles down.

Map the escalation path for a key project—who steps in if issues appear?

Hold a short workshop: “What’s working or broken in our current setup?”

Draft a RACI map for one initiative—who’s Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed?

Spot one task drifting between roles—assign ownership and back them up.

Review your calendar—does it match your defined role or hidden gaps?

Ask a teammate: “What part of my role do you rely on most—and is it clear to you?”

Ask a collaborator: “Which responsibilities in your role feel unclear or overlapping?”

Share your team structure with a mentor—ask: “Where might friction show up?”

Ask a new hire to explain your reporting lines—do they get it right?

Gather feedback on how accountability flows—what should be adjusted?

Share your role scope with an advisor—does it match their expectations?

Reframe “roles are fixed” to “roles flex as needs evolve—what should shift today?”

Shift from “we need more hires” to “can we redistribute responsibilities first?”

View unclear structure not as chaos, but as a prompt to co-design clarity.

Recast hierarchy as support, not control—what shifts if I see it that way?

Instead of “I lack authority,” ask “What part can I fully own now?”

Reframe org charts as maps of trust and influence, not just reporting lines.

Watch where tasks get lost—what’s unassigned or unclear in your team?

Observe team huddles—who dominates, who defers, and what does that reveal?

Track how often decisions bounce between people—could clearer roles fix it?

Notice recurring confusion—are responsibilities overlapping or missing?

Pay attention to how onboarding really works—does it match structure?

Track how often people step outside scope—does it show agility or gaps?

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