The 1/3/1 Rule: How We Solve Problems at Executive Nomad

At Executive Nomad, we work lean, smart, and focused. That means every team member is expected to think critically and bring solutions — not just problems. To make this easy and consistent, we use the 1/3/1 Rule, a decision-making framework popularized by Dan Martell in Buy Back Your Time.

What the 1/3/1 Rule Is

Whenever you hit a roadblock or need input, you don’t just pass the problem on and hope someone else will fix it for you. Instead, you ask:

What can i do, right now to fix the problem myself?

Then, before you book a call or reach out to your team leader, manager or Director...

Define exactly what the issues is. define it as one clear problem
Define the challenge in a single, simple sentence. Example: “Our email campaign open rate has dropped 15% in the last two weeks.”
List three different ways you could approach the issue. Examples: Example: Rewrite subject lines using proven templates. Re-segment the email list to focus on warmer leads. Test a different send time (mornings instead of afternoons).

Next: One recommended solution

First: Define the Problem You are Facing

Pick the option you believe is best, and explain why.

Example: “I recommend starting with subject line testing because it’s fast to implement and will immediately tell us if messaging is the core issue.”

Why We Use It

We're all about learning

Saves Time

You do the thinking upfront, so leadership only has to confirm, refine, or redirect.

Builds Autonomy

You learn to solve problems independently while still having support.

Encourages Growth:

The process trains you to evaluate trade-offs and make better decisions.

Prevents 'delegating up'

Instead of passing the work back to the founder or manager, you own it until it’s at the decision point.

How to Present it to Your Manager/Director/Founder

Before you ask for a meeting, make sure you have followed to 1/3/1 rule. Your team leader, Manager, Director or the Founder will ask you first if you have follwed the formula. Send an email with the following structure.

Subject/Headline: 1/3/1 — [Brief Description of Problem]

Problem: [State the issue clearly]
Option 1: [Solution]
Option 2: [Solution]
Option 3: [Solution]
My Recommendation: [Chosen solution + reason]

Example

Problem: Our social media engagement has fallen 20% compared to last month.

Options:

Increase frequency of posts from 3x to 5x per week.
Test short-form video instead of static posts.
Run a small paid campaign to boost visibility.

Recommendation: Option 2. Shift focus to short-form video, since competitors are seeing higher engagement with this format, and it requires no budget to test.

Bottom Line

The 1/3/1 Rule keeps us moving fast and avoids bottlenecks.

Don’t just bring problems.
Don’t bring endless options.
Bring one problem, three possible solutions, and one clear recommendation.

That’s how we work at Executive Nomad.

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Executive Nomad Limited - Suite 4, 2nd Floor The West Wing, Montarik House 3 Bedlam Court, GX11 1AA Gibraltar - Company Number:121430

Define exactly what the issues is. define it as one clear problem
Define the challenge in a single, simple sentence. Example: “Our email campaign open rate has dropped 15% in the last two weeks.”
List three different ways you could approach the issue. Examples: Example: Rewrite subject lines using proven templates. Re-segment the email list to focus on warmer leads. Test a different send time (mornings instead of afternoons).