---
title: Trying to make the right decision - and not making one at all
description: Nokia and Apple saw the same market shift. One delayed, one committed early. Here’s why waiting for the perfect decision can lead to worse outcomes.
image: https://www.advancementquest.com/hubfs/warehouse%20life%20and%20death.png
---
[Skip to content](https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one#main-content)
Second Look
# Trying to make the right decision - and not making one at all
Advancement Quest Team
April 30, 2026
## *A case study of life and death.*
### In 2007:
- Nokia held ~50% of the global smartphone market
- Apple had 0%
Market value reflected it.
Nokia was worth roughly ~$130–150B and was one of the most valuable companies in Europe.
Apple was worth roughly ~$70–80B.
Then the market shifted to touchscreens, software-first devices, and app ecosystems.
Both saw it coming.
### Case A - Nokia
Nokia didn’t ignore the shift. It worked across multiple directions at once, keeping options open while trying to refine the right path.
- improving Symbian OS
- developing MeeGo
- experimenting with touchscreen hybrids
Progress continued across all paths — more work, more refinement, more iteration - without locking into one direction early.
### Case B - Apple
Apple moved differently. It chose a direction and launched.
The first iPhone had visible limitations:
- no App Store
- slow 2G internet
- no copy & paste
It was clearly below the level of completeness Nokia was working towards in its systems and devices.
The decision was made anyway.
### What followed
- Apple scaled rapidly, building the ecosystem as it went
- Nokia’s position weakened, and its market share collapsed
By 2013, Nokia had sold its mobile division to Microsoft after a failed turnaround, as loss of position made continuation unviable.
Apple went on to become the most valuable company in the world, reaching ~$2T+ market value.
There was no difference in awareness, capability, talent, resources, or exposure to the market shift.
But when and how the decision was made was dramatically different.
#### ⚡A slightly worse decision made now often beats a perfect one you never commit to.
---
### 🚀 **What to do next**
If this feels familiar, start here:
👉 Run the [Second Look Decision Diagnostic](https://sldiag.advancementquest.com/second-look/decision-diagnostic/?entry=second-look/) to see what’s missing before you decide
👉See [why this happens](https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/situations/stuck-between-options/)
👉 📖 Read more on [Second Look blog](https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/tag/second-look)
You can continue with making the decision afterwwards.
## Share this post
[mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advancementquest.com%2Fblog%2Ftrying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advancementquest.com%2Fblog%2Ftrying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one)
## Keep reading
### [ AI Clinic Second Look Check Decision What did ChatGPT miss in my business plan?](https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/what-did-chatgpt-miss-in-my-business-plan)
### [ Second Look Should Sales Bonuses Reward Revenue or Profit Per Deal?](https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/should-sales-bonuses-reward-revenue-or-profit-per-deal)
---
Second Look. Advancement Quest Ltd © 2025. All rights reserved. Privacy policy available upon request
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/#blogposting",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"about" : [ {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/situations/stuck-between-options/#situation"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/symptoms/#decision-options-paralysis"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/#concept"
} ],
"author" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/#organization",
"@type" : "Organization",
"name" : "Advancement Quest Team"
},
"dateModified" : "2026-06-12T10:51:23.965Z",
"datePublished" : "2026-04-30T09:30:00.000Z",
"description" : "Nokia and Apple saw the same market shift. One delayed, one committed early. Here’s why waiting for the perfect decision can lead to worse outcomes.",
"headline" : "Trying to make the right decision - and not making one at all",
"image" : [ "https://146760998.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146760998/warehouse%20life%20and%20death.png" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/#page"
},
"mentions" : [ {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/#framework"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look-blog#blog"
} ],
"name" : "Trying to make the right decision - and not making one at all",
"potentialAction" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/#check-action"
},
"publisher" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/#organization"
},
"url" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/#page",
"@type" : "WebPage",
"about" : [ {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/situations/stuck-between-options/#situation"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/symptoms/#decision-options-paralysis"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/#concept"
} ],
"description" : "Nokia and Apple saw the same market shift. One delayed, one committed early. Here’s why waiting for the perfect decision can lead to worse outcomes.",
"isPartOf" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look-blog#blog"
},
"mainEntity" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/#blogposting"
},
"mentions" : [ {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look/#framework"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/second-look-blog#blog"
} ],
"name" : "Trying to make the right decision - and not making one at all",
"url" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/#organization",
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/#organization-logo",
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/hubfs/Mountain%20ChatGPT1%20black%20transparent%20cropped.png"
},
"name" : "Advancement Quest",
"url" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/#check-action",
"@type" : "CheckAction",
"description" : "Use the Second Look Diagnostic to identify what may be missing or unclear before committing to this type of decision.",
"name" : "Run the Second Look Diagnostic",
"object" : {
"@id" : "https://www.advancementquest.com/blog/trying-to-make-the-right-decision-and-not-making-one/#blogposting"
},
"target" : {
"@id" : "https://sldiag.advancementquest.com/second-look/decision-diagnostic/#app"
}
}
```