Jorge digs out an influential book from his past to discuss a critical issue in decision-making.

Show notes:

• The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford (PDF)
• Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse
• UX Design Innovation: Challenges for Working with Machine Learning as a Design Material by Graham Dove, Kim Halskov, Jodi Forlizzi, and John Zimmerman (PDF)
• AlphaGo (Full movie) 

It's easy to feel frustrated and powerless — but organizational leaders have more agency than they might think in today's world.

Show notes:

• Incorruptible by Eric Ries
• Sentient Design by Josh Clark and Veronica Kindred
• Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth
• Incorruptible by Design — Eric Ries Long Now seminar

AI gives us the ability to prototype faster than ever before — which is great, as long as we remember that there's underlying work to be done.

Show notes:

• The Clock of the Long Now by Stewart Brand
• How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
• Maintenance of Everything, Part One  by Stewart Brand
• Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• The World as a Total System by Kenneth Boulding
• Living in Information by Jorge Arango
• Liquid Glass

Many so-called accidents can be prevented with a bit of forethought. In this conversation, we explore ways to avoid bad outcomes by preparing beforehand.

Show notes:

• There Are No Accidents, Only Collisions by Alan Levar
• Traction Heroes Ep. 2: Unprecedented
• The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
• Pass Labs
• Four Types of Problems by Art Smalley
• Drift Into Failure by Sidney Dekker
• The Problem Is Not the Problem by Harry Max (video)

Determining what to track is essential for effective management. But focusing on just a few measures can lead us to miss important things.

Show notes:

• Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott
• How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
• Pace layers
• Strategies for Learning from Failure by Amy C. Edmondson (HBR gift link)
• What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter

A reading from a popular job search book prompts a discussion about our inability to accurately self-diagnose — and what to do about it.

Show notes:

• Never Search Alone by Phyl Terry 
• Phyl.org
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
• What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles
• So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport
• Social Traps by John Cross and Melvin Guyer
• Mistakes Were Made (bot Not By Me) by Caroll Tavris and Elliot Aronson
• Confidential by John Nolan
• Johari window
• Using AI to Illuminate My Blind Spots by Jorge Arango

Jorge shares one of his core mental models — from an unexpected source.

Show notes:

• Axis Thinking by Brian Eno
• A Year with Swollen Appendices by Brian Eno
• Polarity Management by Barry Johnson
• The Problem Is Not the Problem by Harry Max

On the risks of unquestioningly delegating sense-making to technology in general (and AI in particular.)

Show notes:

The Glass Cage by Nicholas Carr

Our perceptions of what someone else will say or do can influence what they actually end up saying or doing — leading to a dangerous vicious cycle.

Show notes:

• Beyond Belief by Nir Eyal
• Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray
• The Matrix
• Mistakes Were Mad (but Not By Me) by Caroll Tavris and Elliot Aronson

Harry and Jorge discuss one of the latter's favorite means for gaining traction: the MacGuffin, a concept with a storied pedigree in cinema.

Show notes:

• Dark Matter and Trojan Horses by Dan Hill
• Trim tab
• The New How by Nilofer Merchant
• Human-Centered Security by Heidi Trost
• Tempo by Venkatesh Rao