May 13A system to put problems in perspectiveAll day, every day, you’re being bombarded with problems that need solving. Here’s a simple framework that’ll help put things in perspective so that you don’t lose sleep over an ant bite or sleep through a snake bite. I propose a general purpose framework that I call the 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫…Decision Making2 min read
May 12Deciding what’s normalWhen moving between projects, teams, jobs, careers, have you ever thought about how what is acceptable often changes with the environment? In the 18th century, it was considered normal to be a body snatcher. Your job was to collect dead bodies and sell them to anatomists in medical schools to…Choices2 min read
May 11Two common problems of a young manager and how to deal with them1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭. The product manager says engineering’s not sticking to timelines; the tech lead says that the specs aren’t clear; and the project manager says that their time goes setting up meetings. And oh, everyone says they’re working really hard. …Decision Making2 min read
May 10As a young professional, how can I earn the freedom to take decisions?Early career can be a hard time. You’re hungry to create impact. But you get bogged down by micromanagement, or by having to influence without authority, or you burn yourself out in the process of trying to prove your worth. It need not be like this. Here’s what I have…Decision Making2 min read
May 9How to run meetings without authorityAka how to spark disconfirming analysis for better decisions When you’re running any consequential discussion among business leaders, as a young professional you may find yourself in one of two situations: the discussion converges too quickly OR it moves around in circles. The best way for you to drive such…Strategy2 min read
May 5Better decision-making with better questionsThis is what Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke has to say: “Your skill in decision-making is directly proportional to your quality of information acquisition.” Your decision quality cannot beat your information quality. Quality information is hard to get. You can’t always be running experiments. You gotta ask good questions. But not…2 min read
May 4There’s no decision-making without constraintsWhat does decision-making without constraints look like? Here are three high-stakes examples. 👉René Redzepi, head chef of three Michelin-star restaurant Noma, only uses native Nordic ingredients to create delicious food. Nordic winters are long and unforgiving. Foraging for ingredients is tough. But being forced to do so is a recipe…2 min read
May 3How to help your team decide in your absenceBeing a new manager shouldn’t stop you from being a good leader. This is a situation new managers may identify with. You have a young team that you trust but you’re worried about their decision-making. You find yourself having to intervene every now and then and nudging them in the…2 min read
May 2𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧Some years ago, when my wife and I were beginning to think about homeownership, we spoke with recent homeowner friends. On one such visit, we marveled at the greenery surrounding their place (a national park in Mumbai). Our friend said that their decision to settle there was based on a…2 min read
Apr 29The Benefits of Changing Your Spotlight to a FloodlightA common decision-making mistake is that we sincerely believe 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴. This happens nonconsciously. Before we know it, we’ve turned on our internal spotlight and are looking hard at what it has lit up. But a spotlight only shines a part on the stage. It…Decision Making2 min read
