How to Choose

In this episode we look at five lessons from the book 'Left Brain, Right Stuff: How Leaders Make Winning Decisions’ by Phil Rosenzweig.

Rosenzweig challenges the assumption that the various biases and heuristics observed by behavioural economists such as Daniel Kahneman will automatically apply in all other arenas of life - and instead tries to demonstrate that the reality is more subtle. But Tess isn't fully convinced by some of Rosenzweig's arguments. What do you think?

In this, our 50th episode, we chat with champion ultra trail runner Patricia McKibbin about the extraordinary world of competitive trail running and get some great tips on how to persevere when times get tough.

Inspired by Trish's stories? You can follow her on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trishmckibbin/

In episode 8 of season 5, we discuss the attribute of perseverance and why it is important for good decision making.

Decision making can be hard work - unless we persevere, we risk settling for a poor choice. And having made that decision, we need perseverance to turn our good choice into a good outcome.

If you're interested to learn more about this topic, you might want to grab the book 'Grit' by Angela Duckworth.

The full interview with champion trail runner Patricia McKibbin is available as a bonus episode - make sure you check it out!

In episode 7 of season 5, we discuss the attribute of being reflective and why it is important for good decision making. And also why it’s essential for success in life more generally.

WHAT TO DO?

You can enhance your reflection by:

• schedule regular time to reflect
• ask yourself specific questions and consider getting an outside perspective
• reflect on your successes too, not just when things go wrong

LINKS

Want to learn more about developing your reflective ability? Here's links to some interesting articles:

Research on reflection

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3167369/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844022011525
• https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2414478

Harvard Business Review question prompts: https://hbr.org/2017/03/why-you-should-make-time-for-self-reflection-even-if-you-hate-doing-it

• What are you avoiding?
• How are you helping your colleagues achieve their goals?
• How are you not helping or even hindering their progress?

IN OUR NEXT EPISODE...

In episode 8 of this season, we'll be discussing the importance of ‘perseverance’ when it comes to making important decisions. Don't miss it!

Heraclitus famously said ‘change is the only constant in life’. We change - as we mature and age - and the world around us is constantly changing. Sometimes we are drivers of change, based on the choices we make. Sometimes change happens to us whether we like it or not. By being adaptable, we can navigate through our changing environment, learning from our mistakes and maximising our chances of achieving our goals.

LINKS

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbooksauthors/2023/03/13/adaptability-the-secret-sauce-of-leadership/?sh=1c32708e42da

Hodges, J., & Gill, R., (2015). Kodak: Reacting to core market changes. In Sage Business Cases. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526405340

Tim Harford, ‘Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure’ (Picador)

In episode 5 of season 5, we discuss the attribute of having courage and why it is important for good decision making.

WHAT TO DO?

You can enhance your own or your organisation’s courage by:

• leaving your ego at the door
• speaking less and listening more
• encourage dissent and admit when you are wrong
• deliberately seek out information, with an open mind

LINKS

Want to learn more about becoming more courageous? Here's links to some interesting articles:

1. TEDx:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CopAQ88_QfY  

2. When leaders heed the lessons of mistakes:  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/peps.12570

3. Conducting a pre-mortem: https://hbr.org/2007/09/performing-a-project-premortem

IN OUR NEXT EPISODE...

In episode 6 of this season, we'll be discussing why it is beneficial to be ‘adaptable’ when it comes to making important decisions. Don't miss it!

In episode 4 of season 5, we discuss the attribute of being knowledge hungry and why it is important for good decision making.

WHAT TO DO?

You can enhance your hunger for knowledge by:

• reading every day, channel Warren Buffet
• deliberately seek out information, with an open mind, being open minded is key, otherwise all that new knowledge is not informing your decisions
• think like a scientist: accept how little you know and form hypotheses, run experiments, and consistently rethink your understanding of the world

LINKS

Want to learn more about becoming more knowledge hungry? Here's links to some interesting articles:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/25-surprising-facts-about-warren-buffett/290381

https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2319992

IN OUR NEXT EPISODE...

In episode 5 of this season, we'll be discussing why it is beneficial to be ‘reflective’ when it comes to making important decisions. Don't miss it!

In episode 3 of season 5, we discuss the attribute of realistic optimism and how it helps us be better decision-makers.

SUMMARY

• Realistic optimism accepts the reality - both good and bad - of every situation, but applies a positive attitude to make the best of the situation and pursue our goals with energy
• Pessimism isn't the same as realism. Pessimism focuses on unlikely negative outcomes and ignores the statistical likelihood that something bad will happen. Being sceptical means not accepting things on face value - it is a questioning, curious mindset that serves us better than pessimism
• We can build realistic optimism by applying the ABC framework to analyse how we respond to adversity, adjusting our beliefs to support a more constructive decision that produces better consequences that help us achieve our goals

RESOURCES

Curious to learn more about realistic optimism? Here's the details of some interesting articles:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/01/07/how-to-incorporate-realistic-optimism-into-your-life/?sh=24d6696876f0 

Carver, Charles S., Michael F. Scheier, and Suzanne C. Segerstrom. “Optimism.” Clinical Psychology Review 30, no. 7 (2010): 879–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.01.006.

Jefferson, Bortolotti & Kuzmanovic, ‘What is Unrealistic Optimism?’, Consciousness & Cognition, 50 (2017)

Martin Seligman, ‘Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life’ (Vintage Books; New York, 1990)

Are you, or someone you know, negatively impacted by gambling?

Here's a couple of links that might help:

https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/gambling-addiction-and-problem-gambling.htm

IN OUR NEXT EPISODE...

In episode 4 of this season, we'll be discussing the benefits of being 'knowledge-hungry'. Don't miss it!

In episode 2 of season 5, we discuss the attribute of purpose and why it is important for good decision making. And also why it’s essential for success in life more generally.

WHAT TO DO?

You can enhance your purpose by:

• setting short and medium term goals to keep you on track towards your bigger, purpose-driven goals, like being fit and healthy
• encouraging intrinsic motivation in others by asking questions like “how did you grow today and what do you need for tomorrow?” rather than “what did you achieve today?”
• in the workplace, when decision-makers understand the organisation’s purpose, they can best evaluate and make a decision based on how well it contributes to the purpose

LINKS

Want to learn more about developing your purpose? Here's links to some interesting articles:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18999339/

https://positivepsychology.com/increase-intrinsic-motivation/

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/outliers/chapter-3-the-trouble-with-geniuses-part-1

IN OUR NEXT EPISODE...

In episode 3 of this season, we'll be discussing why it's beneficial to be ‘realistically optimistic’ when it comes to making important decisions. Don't miss it!

In this episode we chat with Kirsten Siggins and Kathy Taberner, co-authors of 'The Power of Curiosity'.

You can find out more about their work at www.instituteofcuriosity.com or follow them on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstensiggins/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/instituteofcuriosity/).