Feb 4Launching Decision Decoder, an e-book series on how to make smarter choicesThe first e-book in my Decision Decoder series is out now. Check it out on my website https://www.satyajitrout.com/ Why is it so hard to get better at entrepreneurship or leadership? One reason I’ve found is that in such spaces there are no laws, only principles. The principles are circumstantial. They…Decision Making2 min readDecision Making2 min read
Feb 1You’ll get riled up if you don’t know…Here are two headlines from my morning news to rile you up: 👿‘Andheri bridge closed down, again’ A bridge collapses in Mumbai in 2018. Four years later, the reconstructed bridge is deemed unsafe by a consultancy firm. A failed project, millions of taxpayer money lost, citizens are aghast! 👿‘Finally, COP27…Change Management2 min readChange Management2 min read
Jan 31You can go far with blunt instrumentsWe tend to think absolutely, in all-or-nothing terms. But thinking in probabilities moves us from the embarrassment of not knowing the right answer to preparing for a range of futures. A more accurate estimation of the future happens when we improve the quality and quantity of what we know. This…Decision Making2 min readDecision Making2 min read
Jan 30Being less wrongJust one question can tell you a lot about a person. I’m not talking about an interview question. In fact, the question I’m going to ask is probably going to make you raise an eyebrow or two. And you’re not even obliged to answer it. …Decision Making2 min readDecision Making2 min read
Jan 23Your leaders aren’t the problem. Your leadership group is.On January 10, 1961, the New York Times outed on its front page that the CIA was training Cuban exiles to launch a guerilla war against the new Fidel Castro-led government in Cuba. The headline should have chucked this covert plan of the John F. Kennedy-led US government to the…Groupthink2 min readGroupthink2 min read
Jan 20How levers of influence trick us into mistaking belief for knowledgeKnowledge is always true. Belief may or may not be true. The most time-tested beliefs are built on a foundation of knowledge that itself is repaired and remodeled. But there are also deep-seated beliefs that stand on nothing true but are treated as treasures to be protected. Political oratory has…Influence2 min readInfluence2 min read
Dec 26, 2022Being a conditional detectiveIf things go well and you’re happy with the outcome, you don’t want to revisit anything. If the outcome is poor, you turn detective. You want to breathe only after you find that piece of rotten luck or that turn of events outside your control that got you here. Because…Decision Making2 min readDecision Making2 min read
Dec 23, 2022How can you build a decision treeSay you’re considering treatment options for a medical problem. The problem is elective now, so you can either manage it conservatively until it worsens irreversibly or you can choose one of two surgical options. How would you decide? 💡The path to genius avoids stupid. So first: what’s a bad way…Decision Making2 min readDecision Making2 min read
Dec 22, 2022You don’t need to negotiate betterMost people wish they could negotiate better. This feeling peaks around the time of job interviews and pay discussions. Most common advice also circles the same path: Quote a number higher than your target. That’s a very hammer-and-nail solution. …Influence1 min readInfluence1 min read
Dec 21, 2022Why pros and cons will fail youAlmost always the first, and often the last, decision-making tool that you will pick up is one that will fail you miserably. That tool is the good old pros and cons list. I’ve seen long-term org decisions being made on the basis of a pros and cons list. And I’ve…Decision Making2 min readDecision Making2 min read
