Bad advice about doubt

'Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.' So says Robert DeNiro in Ronin. It’s a quote that gets some airtime among startup leaders. You might hear it uttered when someone is considering firing employees, rejecting candidates, or turning down investments.

Unfortunately, this mantra encourages you to act on your gut feeling, rather than investigate your gut feeling. And it’s in this investigation that the real value lies.

Feelings are a way of interpreting a piece of data (often unknown to the person having the feelings)—but interpretation can be biased and misleading. 

I’m not saying your gut feeling is wrong, just that you should at least assess it properly. Doubt is a signal that reflection is needed. ‘I’m not sure,’ really means, ‘I’m not clear.’

So, if I may, here’s a practical tweak:

'Whenever there is any doubt, it’s time to clarify what matters most.'

Less catchy, but more effective.