The Art of Deciding

Bruce Whitfield
The Art of Deciding

The internet tells us we make 35 000 decisions every day. To increase our chances of making the right ones, The Art of Deciding asks people who make big decisions to reveal a little of how they do it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. Robin Dunbar and Sam  Rockey - authors of The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups

    3 DAYS AGO

    Robin Dunbar and Sam Rockey - authors of The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups

    What is the ideal number of people to involve in a collective decision? What do we need to be happy - and effective - in a group? Why should more companies have pubs? Professor Robin Dunbar is Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford. He’s famous for Dunbar’s number - the limit to the amount of meaningful relationships that we can have at any one time (listen to the podcast to find out what it is). Sam Rockey is an Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School - also at Oxford - and a consultant who has helped many multi-nationals improve their performance. Their book (with Tracey Camilleri), The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups, looks at how we function collectively, why we’re hard-wired to do so and how to create more powerful organisations - including how we make decisions. Key Topics: Evolutionary Roots of Decision-Making: Humans thrive in social groups, but modern structures create new challenges.Optimal Group Sizes for Decision-Making:4-5: Quick, effective decisions.6-12: Best for brainstorming.12-15: Ideal for complex discussions.The Social Brain & Business Strategy: Lessons from SAB Miller on fostering connection and collaboration.The Thrive Model for Organizations:Collective PurposeBelonging & TrustLearning & CultureShared ValuesLeadership & Decision-Making: Insights from Jeff Bezos & Elon Musk on meeting efficiency.The Role of Trust: Trust enables faster, better decisions.Reimagining the Future of Work: Moving beyond industrial-era business models.  Resources & References Mentioned: Robin Dunbar’s Work: Dunbar’s NumberThe Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups – https://www.thesocialbrainbook.comRobin Dunbar - https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/robin-dunbarSam Rockey, Thompson Harrison https://www.thompsonharrison.comSAB Miller https://www.sabmiller.com ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­-_______________________________________________________________ The Art of Deciding has been featured in The Guardian Podcast Newsletter, Podnews, The List, and the Podbible newsletter, amongst others.  The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/ Series Producer: Jayne Morgan Bruce Whitfield is an award winning journalist, best-selling author and speaker https://www.brucewhitfield.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  2. Colin Ingram - award-winning theatre producer

    JAN 23

    Colin Ingram - award-winning theatre producer

    “Be brilliant for ten minutes a day.” Is that enough? It’s worked for award-winning West End and Broadway producer, Colin Ingram who spends his life making multi-million-pound decisions about what audiences are going to like. Sometimes he’s right – his Back to the Future: The Musical is a smash hit. But sometimes he’s wrong – his Gone With The Wind crashed and burned. How does he get into people’s heads? What has he learned? What can we learn from him? "The only thing that doesn't lie is the box office." You’ve got to be realistic about whether something is actually working or not and make tough decisions – even if it’s your personal passion or your creative team promise they can save it. He talks us through the lessons he learned with his unsuccessful production of Gone With The Wind."Success is as hard as failure." There are pitfalls involved in big successes – especially if you’re young and inexperienced. It can cloud your vision and so interfere with your decision-making ."Be brilliant for 10 minutes a day." There are those moments that make all the difference. No one can be 100% all the time - so don’t put yourself under that kind of pressure. But if you can be inspired just for a short time each day, it can make the difference between success and failure. Chapters: (00:56) One of life's big pleasures is deciding to go to a show (02:42) Colin Ingram is one of the West End's most successful producers (06:08) Colin’s early days working for Cameron Macintosh (08:06) What decisions would you have made differently today versus the younger version of you (09:35) Colin’s process, considering a theatre production from conception to execution can take a decade (21:43) Making big decisions that are not always popular can be difficult (24:03) Be brilliant for 10 minutes a day References Colin Ingram: https://coliningramltd.com Back to the Future: The Musical https://www.backtothefuturemusical.com Ghost the Musical https://www.ghostthemusical.com Billy Elliot the Musical https://billyelliotthemusical.com Cameron Mackintosh https://www.cameronmackintosh.com   The Art of Deciding has been charting in the top 10, and featured in The Guardian Podcast Newsletter, Podnews, The List, and the Podbible newsletter, amongst others.  The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/ Series Producer: Jayne Morgan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  3. Asbjørn Rachlew - lead interrogator of mass murderer, Anders Breivik

    11/28/2024

    Asbjørn Rachlew - lead interrogator of mass murderer, Anders Breivik

    On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik blew up Norway’s government buildings. He then travelled 23 miles to the island of Utoya where, posing as a policeman, he shot everyone he saw.  By the end of the day 77 people were dead – 38 of them under the age of 20. Breivik was immediately taken into custody - but was threatening that this was just the beginning of an even bigger killing spree. Police Superintendent Asbjorn Raschlew was appointed to lead the interrogation of one of the deadliest individual mass murderers the world has ever seen.  The science of decision-making was at the heart of his questioning. He explains: - The importance of questioning biases and the revolutionary shift in interrogation techniques that Norway adopted following the attack. The move away from confession-driven methods to a more research-based investigative interviewing technique, which focuses on gathering reliable information rather than forcing confessions. "We don't judge and we don't moralize."How the police had to navigate a complex web of emotions, public pressure, and the need for justice. The decision-making process was not just about determining guilt or innocence but about understanding the deeper motives behind the perpetrator's actions. This is where the concept of confirmation bias becomes crucial.The need to consider alternative explanations and question our initial beliefs.“Our minds are desperately looking for evidence to confirm our beliefs and opinions." We learn that the methodology used was designed to stimulate communication and ensure that suspects felt listened to and respected, regardless of their crimes. A stark contrast to the dramatized interrogations we often see in movies, it focuses on building rapport and gathering accurate information. "Information is the lifeblood of the investigation." References: Asbjorn Rachlew’s book, A Guide to the Professional Interview https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Professional-Interview-Research-based-Methodology/dp/1785277987 Asbjorn Rachlew TEDx Talk https://youtu.be/1H8Mcku6adA?si=d63cLq5RkGSqQEBA Professor Gisli Gudjonsson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%ADsli_Gu%C3%B0j%C3%B3nsson The extract from the court proceedings is taken from here. Bruce Whitfield is an award winning journalist, best-selling author and popular speaker. More here: www.brucewhitfield.com The Art of Deciding has been featured in The Guardian Podcast Newsletter, Podnews, The List, and the Podbible newsletter.  It's produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/ Series Producer: Jayne Morgan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  4. Liv Boeree - champion poker player

    11/21/2024

    Liv Boeree - champion poker player

    Liv Boeree made the wrong decision in the grand finale of a TV poker game show and lost £100 000. But it didn’t put her off, and she went on to become one of the all-time most successful female players in the world. Not only did she win nearly $4 million, she also developed a decision-making philosophy that we can all use, however high the stakes. Plus, as the host of the Win Win podcast, her focus now is what happens when your choices are only made on the basis of beating the competition.   You can find the Win Win podcast here www.winwinpodcast.com _____________________________________________ Key points are: Our gut also needs statistics - if you haven’t got experience to base your intuition on, then you run the risk of making poor decisions.Language matters - what does ‘a fair chance’ actually mean? And does it mean different things to different people? Liv unpacks the science.Competition can be healthy - but it can also be destructive. Liv explains her current focus on trying to use competition for the greater good in her Win Win podcast.___________________________________ Quotes: "People use their intuition as an excuse to be intellectually lazy." "Poker is probably the closest to the messiness of life." "True rationality is a dance of both Intuition and logic and steering your emotions and being the boss of them." "The best players are the ones who do all the study, internalise all of these mathematical solutions, and also have incredible intuitions." The Art of Deciding has been charting in the top 10, and featured in The Guardian Podcast Newsletter, Podnews, The List, and the Podbible newsletter, among others _________________________________________  References Liv Boree - https://www.livboeree.com/ The Win Win podcast - www.winwinpodcast.com Bruce Whitfield - http://brucewhitfield.com/ Bruce Whitfield is an award winning journalist, best-selling author and popular speaker who has spent over two decades hosting a nightly business radio show, questioning influential people about the decisions they made. The insights he gleaned over the years, combined with his relentless curiosity and ability to translate complex concepts into digestible and usable information led him to develop The Art of Deciding podcast. Each episode is a conversation with someone whose decision making process has driven their success, and draws on lessons that we can all use to make better decisions in our own lives. The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/ Series Producer: Jayne Morgan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  5. Lord Karan Bilimoria - Cobra Beer founder

    11/14/2024

    Lord Karan Bilimoria - Cobra Beer founder

    Karan Bilimoria was a Cambridge law student when he discovered that the UK just didn’t have the right beer for his favourite curry. Ignoring his degree and his family’s military background, he decided to solve the problem by setting up Cobra Beer when he was just 27. It went on to become one of the most awarded beers in the world. Since then, he’s applied his entrepreneurial mindset to a huge range of organisations, including as President of the Confederation of British Industry, working with government during COVID, when he was the first person to suggest the widespread use of lateral flow testing and saving thousands of lives. He’s now Lord Bilimoria, an independent crossbench life peer, and still just as focused on taking action. How does he approach decision-making? What does he see as the role of luck? What is the one thing he thinks everyone should remember when it comes to making choices? Key takeaways: ·   He introduces the concept of luck as "when determination meets opportunity," highlighting the need to be proactive in seizing life's waves of opportunity. ·   He contrasts the entrepreneurial mindset of "playing to win" with the bureaucratic mindset of "playing not to lose," encouraging listeners to adopt a proactive and positive attitude towards opportunities. ·   Bilimoria discusses the significance of trust and credibility in business, drawing from personal experiences where his unwavering faith in his product helped him overcome the credibility gap. ·     Cobra Beer https://www.cobrabeer.com/ ·     Cambridge University https://www.cam.ac.uk/ ·     Confederation of British Industry https://www.cbi.org.uk/ ·     TED Talk by Karan Bilimoria https://youtu.be/J4yzoTClUMk?si=Q29ifNgfRHrE53W_ ·     House of Lords https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/ ·     University of Birmingham https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/ ABOUT BRUCE WHITFIELD Bruce Whitfield is an award winning journalist, best-selling author and popular speaker who has spent over two decades hosting a nightly business radio show, questioning influential people about the decisions they made. More on bruce here: www.brucewhitfield.com The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/ Series Producer: Jayne Morgan Music: Brad O'Regan & DJ Darkness - https://soundcloud.com/dj-d-rkn3ss Artwork: Adam Richardson - https://www.podcastcoverart.co.uk/ Audio engineer: Mark Pittam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

About

The internet tells us we make 35 000 decisions every day. To increase our chances of making the right ones, The Art of Deciding asks people who make big decisions to reveal a little of how they do it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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