You're About to Make a Terrible Mistake! -- with Olivier Sibony

Olivier has a long history of helping organisations make decisions. He is a professor at prominent business school HEC Paris, and has worked as a Director at McKinsey & Company.

'We’re not just economic human beings.'

The discussion dives deep into the cognitive biases that shape how we frame world events like the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit.

'Don’t think that you’re going to get better at it on your own.'

Olivier describes one of the “Nine Traps” outlined in his book, The Confidence Trap, and how that can affect planning and productivity. He also recommends putting a system in place to overcome cognitive biases.

Graham and he also discuss group think, and the propensity for groups to converge on decisions too quickly, and Olivier offers advice on encoring healthy disagreement in meetings.

Dialogue, divergence and dynamics

Both fans of the Checklist Manifesto, Olivier discusses with Graham how checklists can be more intelligently deployed so they’re not simply rote lists of tasks that require no initiative. Olivier then outlines his three Ds of decision architecture, that encourage real dialogue, challenge some preconceived notions around diversity of thinking.

It’s OK to fail honourably

The discussion draws to a close with a discussion on humility, and Olivier’s take on work-life balance.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

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