If you’d be embarrassed to explain how you got the win, you already know what kind of win it is.

Embarrassment is a reliable instrument. You do not have to argue yourself into a verdict, because the flinch at the thought of explaining it out loud has already handed you one. That reaction usually arrives before any reasoning does, which is why the reasoning that follows tends to be a defence rather than an honest look.

Run it as a test before you act rather than after. Picture explaining the method to somebody whose opinion you care about. If the answer is a wince, you have your information, and there is still time to do it another way.