hard-call
by alirezarezvanihard-call is an executive decision-support skill for painful choices with no clean option. Use /em:hard-call <decision> to assess reversibility, 10/10/10 impact, regret minimization, and the cost of delay for layoffs, pivots, shutdowns, co-founder exits, or down rounds.
This skill scores 72/100, which means it is acceptable for directory listing as a focused executive decision-support skill. Directory users should find it easy to trigger and useful for structuring difficult leadership calls, but should expect a prose-only workflow with limited adoption aids and no supporting assets.
- Strong triggerability: the frontmatter and body define the command `/em:hard-call <decision>` and specify use cases such as layoffs, pivots, co-founder exits, and shutting down.
- Clear executive-decision scope: it targets painful, high-stakes choices where options are irreversible or human-impacting, which helps agents know when not to use a generic advice prompt.
- The skill provides a substantive framework, including a reversibility test and references to 10/10/10 and regret-minimization thinking, giving agents more structure than open-ended coaching.
- No supporting templates, scripts, references, or examples are included beyond the single SKILL.md, so execution depends on the agent following the prose framework well.
- The repository evidence does not show an install command or detailed integration instructions, which may slow adoption for users unfamiliar with this skill layout.
Overview of hard-call skill
What hard-call is for
hard-call is an executive decision-support skill for choices where every option has serious cost: layoffs, co-founder exits, product shutdowns, pivots, down rounds, or other decisions that feel emotionally loaded and strategically unavoidable. The skill is built around /em:hard-call <decision> and helps an AI assistant slow down the decision, separate pain from judgment, and evaluate what the “least wrong” option looks like.
Best-fit users and decisions
The hard-call skill is best for founders, executives, operators, and advisors facing high-stakes tradeoffs with people, money, reputation, or company survival on the line. It is not a forecasting tool or a legal/HR compliance checklist. It is most useful when the facts are partly known but the decision is being delayed because the consequences are personal, irreversible, or politically difficult.
What makes the framework useful
Unlike a generic “pros and cons” prompt, hard-call emphasizes executive-grade decision hygiene: reversibility, time horizon thinking, and regret minimization. Its core value is not producing a comforting answer; it pushes the user to identify whether delay is already making the situation worse, what can still be undone, and which option they could defend after 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years.
How to Use hard-call skill
hard-call install and repository check
Install the skill from the repository with:
npx skills add alirezarezvani/claude-skills --skill hard-call
The relevant source is compact: start with SKILL.md in c-level-advisor/executive-mentor/skills/hard-call. There are no separate rules/, scripts/, resources/, or metadata files in this skill directory, so the decision framework lives in the main skill file. That makes it easy to inspect, but it also means you should bring your own context, constraints, and domain rules.
How to call the skill well
Use the command shape from the skill:
/em:hard-call <decision>
A weak call is too vague: /em:hard-call Should we do layoffs?
A stronger call gives the assistant the real decision boundary: /em:hard-call We have 9 months runway, revenue is flat, fundraising is unlikely in the next 6 months, and we are choosing between a 15% layoff now, a smaller 8% cut plus salary reductions, or waiting one quarter while cutting vendor spend. Help evaluate the least-wrong option using reversibility, 10/10/10, and regret minimization.
The stronger version improves output because hard-call for Decision Support depends on stakes, timing, alternatives, reversibility, and the cost of waiting.
Inputs that improve decision quality
Before invoking hard-call, gather concise facts:
- The decision you are actually making, not the general problem
- Options under consideration, including “do nothing”
- Time pressure and what happens if you wait
- Who is harmed or helped by each option
- What is reversible, partially reversible, or irreversible
- Financial, legal, reputational, and team constraints
- Your current bias: what you want to be true, what you fear admitting
This skill performs best when you name the painful tradeoff directly. If you hide the hardest consequence, the assistant may give a cleaner answer than the real situation deserves.
Suggested working flow
Use hard-call in three passes. First, ask for a structured analysis of the decision using the framework. Second, challenge the result: “What am I rationalizing?” or “What would a detached board member say?” Third, ask for a communication plan only after the decision logic is clearer. This prevents the session from jumping too early into messaging, morale management, or damage control.
hard-call skill FAQ
Is hard-call only for CEOs and founders?
No, but it is written in an executive-mentor style. Senior managers, chiefs of staff, investors, and advisors can also use it when the decision involves irreversible consequences or competing duties. For ordinary prioritization, roadmap sorting, or lightweight tradeoff analysis, a simpler decision prompt may be enough.
How is hard-call different from a normal AI prompt?
A normal prompt may summarize pros and cons and then recommend the most attractive option. The hard-call skill is designed for decisions where attractiveness is not the standard. It asks whether the decision can be reversed, how the choice looks across different time horizons, and which regret you can live with. That structure reduces emotional avoidance and makes the output easier to defend.
When should I not use hard-call?
Do not use hard-call as the only basis for legal, medical, HR, or financial compliance decisions. It can help clarify executive judgment, but it does not replace counsel, board process, employment law review, fiduciary analysis, or stakeholder consultation. Also avoid using it when you are really seeking validation for a decision already made; the skill is most valuable when you are willing to examine uncomfortable alternatives.
Is the hard-call guide beginner-friendly?
Yes, if the user can describe the situation plainly. The repository is simple because the skill is mainly a single SKILL.md framework, not a toolchain. Beginners should be careful, however, not to treat the assistant’s output as authority. Use it to structure thinking, surface blind spots, and prepare better questions for humans with accountability.
How to Improve hard-call skill
Make the hard-call prompt decision-specific
The most common failure mode is framing the issue too broadly. Instead of “Should we pivot?” write: “Should we shut down Product A, which has loyal but low-revenue customers, and move the team to Product B, which has stronger enterprise demand but higher execution risk?” Specificity lets hard-call compare real options instead of generating generic leadership advice.
Add constraints before asking for judgment
Better inputs produce better decision support. Include non-negotiables such as runway, contractual obligations, board commitments, values, brand promises, customer obligations, or legal review status. If one option is emotionally appealing but operationally impossible, say so. If one option is morally difficult but financially necessary, say that too.
Force the assistant to examine delay
Because many hard decisions are late decisions, ask explicitly: “What is the cost of waiting 30, 60, and 90 days?” This is where hard-call often adds the most value. It helps distinguish patience from avoidance and shows whether a smaller painful action now may prevent a larger painful action later.
Iterate from analysis to action
After the first hard-call output, do not stop at the recommendation. Ask for: the strongest argument against the preferred option, the conditions that would change the decision, the first three irreversible steps, and the communication risks. Then use human review for the final call. The skill is strongest when it sharpens executive judgment, not when it substitutes for accountability.