Yesterday I went to get a second opinion on my ongoing dental pains. I went to a specialist in the matter (implants), presented the history and asked for his opinion and advice. The whole process was incredibly useful. First, it made me focus on what was fact versus interpretation or emotion. Second, I got a perspective from someone who has no stake in the outcome and who is looking at it with fresh eyes. He quickly came up with at least one alternative explanation that my existing provider did not think of. He also offered a clear rationale for his recommendation of staying the course (and because he has no stake in the outcome I felt I could put more weight on that rationale). Getting a second opinion is something I had to learn in life - I started out too action oriented to have the patience for this. But I highly recommend it for any difficult decision whether medical or professional! In a startup, the board should be able to provide a second opinion on many issues faced by the team. But there will be issues where some board members’ interest diverges or interferes. For such matters every entrepreneur should have trusted advisors they can go to for a second opinion. If you don’t have that, I strongly recommend you develop some relationships before you need them. It will make for better decisions and for a less lonely (and stressful) experience.
