Why Smart Climate Founders Still Make Bad Decisions

Smart CEOs make bad decisions all the time. Often, the problem isn't intelligence; it's solving the wrong problem.This minisode explores the Double Diamond framework, a decision-making tool that helps climate CEOs avoid premature conclusions and improve strategic choices.The first diamond: discover and define the problem — Many leaders jump straight into execution mode. The Double Diamond encourages CEOs to first expand their understanding of the challenge before narrowing it to the real problem worth solving.The second diamond: develop and deliver solutions — Once the problem is clearly defined, leaders generate multiple options, evaluate tradeoffs, and then commit to a solution.Why founders get trapped — Climate entrepreneurs are often rewarded for speed and action. That can create a tendency to lock onto the first plausible explanation or solution.Applications across climate tech — Hiring decisions, fundraising strategy, product-market fit, customer segmentation, project development, and market entry all benefit from spending more time in discovery.A practical question for CEOs — "Are we debating solutions before we've agreed on the actual problem?"The core lesson: many costly mistakes occur because teams converge too quickly. The Double Diamond creates deliberate divergence before convergence, helping leaders avoid solving symptoms while missing root causes.👉Get the written summary:https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com/p/why-smart-climate-founders-still--1️⃣ Join our confidential CEO community.Private CEO group for VC/PE-backed climate tech founders navigating capital, strategy, and scale. Capped at 45 CEOs. → entrepreneursforimpact.com2️⃣ Join 40,000 professionals who get our newsletter.Climate tech finance, strategy, leadership. 2-min read. → entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com3️⃣ Leave a podcast review.If you got value, take 30 seconds and do the community a favor. It helps push more capital and talent toward scalable climate solutions.