Sample briefs

Sample brief: Should I take the counteroffer?

Updated 20 July 2026

This is a complete worked Executive Decision Brief for a decision most people face at least once: whether to accept a counteroffer. It shows how Cerno structures a personal, emotionally-charged call — the recommendation, the dissent on the record, the risk and confidence scores, and what to do next.

Cerno is a private AI boardroom that runs consequential decisions through a structured process and returns a brief like the one below. For personal decisions it can seat a "Future You" advisor. This example is illustrative.

Executive Decision Brief

Should I accept the counteroffer from my current employer?

Recommendation

Lean towards declining — the counteroffer solves the pay gap but not the reasons you were leaving. Accept only if it credibly addresses those reasons in writing.

Confidence

—

Risk

Med

Vote

2–3

Illustrative brief · Evidence Mode on

How this brief was reached

The board formed independent views, a Devil's Advocate pushed on the leading one, and the advisors voted — landing 2–3 against accepting, with the dissent kept visible. The Chairperson's synthesis is deliberately conditional: the counteroffer can be right, but only if it addresses the underlying reasons, not just the salary. The mid risk score reflects that this is reversible-ish but not cost-free.

The frameworks behind it

This is a classic case for regret minimisation — which choice will you regret least in a few years? — and for judging reversibility: declining is closer to a one-way door than accepting, so it deserves the more careful thought.

Facing a counteroffer? Put your situation through the boardroom and get a brief with your own facts.

Run your version in Cerno

Frequently asked

What do the numbers mean?

Confidence is how sure the board is in the recommendation; risk scores the downside if it's wrong; the vote shows how divided the advisors were, with the dissent recorded. Together they tell you how much to trust the call — here, a cautious one.

Cerno is a decision-support aid, not legal, financial or medical advice. Where a decision turns on specialist ground, seek a qualified professional.

The regret minimisation framework

Regret minimisation asks which choice you'll regret least when you're old, looking back. It cuts through short-term noise on big personal decisions. Here's how to use it, with a worked example.

One-way vs two-way door decisions

Some decisions are reversible (two-way doors) and some aren't (one-way doors). Telling them apart tells you how much deliberation a decision deserves. Here's the model, popularised by Jeff Bezos, with a worked example.

Sample brief: Should we open a second site?

A complete worked Executive Decision Brief for a business expansion decision — recommendation, recorded vote with dissent, risk and confidence scores, assumptions and next actions. Illustrative and anonymised.