Situation 1: Supplier missed delivery
Old me (drama mode): "They're trying to renegotiate pricing by creating artificial delays." Escalate to CEO. Threaten contract termination. Burn the relationship.
New me (razor mode):
Step 1 — Occam's Razor. What's the simplest explanation? Did we send the correct PO number? Was the delivery address updated in our system? Did they have production issues? Nine times out of ten, it's a simple miscommunication or process gap.
Step 2 — Hanlon's Razor. Assume incompetence, not malice. "Hey team, I think we had a communication breakdown. Let's fix the process."
Effect: problem solved in one call, relationship preserved, process improved for next time.
Situation 2: AI model accuracy drops
Old me: "Something is fundamentally wrong with the algorithm." Three-day deep-dive into model architecture. Call the data science team. Burn $10k in consulting fees.
New me (Occam's Razor): check basics first. Did the data pipeline break? Did the input format change? Is training data stale?
Answer in this case: upstream API changed. Fix: 15 minutes to reconnect the pipeline.
Don't debug the Ferrari when you're out of gas.
Situation 3: Junior team member screws up
Old me: "They're careless. Don't they care about quality?" Frustration. Micromanagement. Demotivated team.
New me (Hanlon's Razor): did I explain this clearly? Do they have the right tools and training? Is the process documented?
Reality check: 95% of "careless mistakes" are unclear instructions or bad process. 5% are actual performance issues. Fix onboarding — most of the mistakes disappear.
The impact — real numbers
Before using these razors: average escalation response time 3–5 days. Vendor relationship conflicts around 8 per month. Mental energy spent on drama: exhausting.
After: same-day response. Around 1 conflict per month. Mental energy reserved for actual strategy.
The rule
Before escalating anything, ask two questions:
Occam: What's the simplest explanation?
Hanlon: Is this malice or just a mistake?
If both point to "simple mistake" — fix the process, move on. If both point to "actual problem" — now escalate, and do it strategically.
Why this matters
Every fake crisis you create drains your decision bandwidth, damages relationships, and builds a reputation as "the person who overreacts."
Leadership isn't about solving drama. It's about eliminating unnecessary drama in the first place.
What's your go-to razor for staying calm under pressure?