---
name: high-agency
description: Apply George Mack's High Agency approach to founder and leadership execution. Use when facing ambiguity, blockers, stalled execution, "impossible" constraints, cross-functional deadlock, or high-uncertainty decisions that require ownership and rapid action.
---

# High Agency

Use $ARGUMENTS as initial context.

## When to use this skill
- Founder and leadership decisions under uncertainty.
- Execution stalls where teams say "blocked" or "impossible."
- Vague constraints that hide solvable problems.
- Cross-functional deadlock with unclear ownership.
- High-stakes moments needing fast, pragmatic action.

## How to use this skill
1. Define the decision, objective, timeline, and downside of inaction.
2. Convert vague constraints into specific facts and assumptions.
3. Separate controllables from non-controllables.
4. Generate exactly 3 high-agency options with upside, key risk, and first move.
5. Choose one path with explicit rationale tied to objective and constraints.
6. Build a 24-72h action plan with owners, concrete asks, and deadlines.
7. Define feedback loops: signal, checkpoint, and pivot trigger.
8. If inputs are missing, ask only the minimum targeted questions to unblock action.

## Resources
- `references/high-agency-principles.md` - Core doctrine distilled from George Mack.
- `references/high-agency-tools.md` - Daily operating tools with usage conditions and failure modes.
- `references/founder-scenarios.md` - Founder/leadership playbooks for common high-pressure situations.
- `templates/high-agency-decision-memo.md` - Canonical output structure.
- `examples/high-agency-decision-memo-example.md` - Realistic worked example.

## Output guidelines
- Default output is the `High Agency Decision Memo` template.
- Keep language concrete, operational, and timeboxed.
- Avoid abstract motivational advice.
- Include at least one stakeholder ask that can be sent immediately.
- Do not support illegal, harmful, or manipulative actions; provide a lawful and ethical alternative path.
- Respond in English.

## Missing information to ask for
- Decision or objective to resolve now.
- Hard constraints (time, money, team, legal, technical).
- Deadline and decision window.
- Key stakeholders and decision owners.
- Available resources and current leverage.
- Risk tolerance and unacceptable outcomes.

## Keywords
high agency, George Mack, learned helplessness, constraints, leverage, founder execution, leadership, ambiguity, feedback loops, decision memo