The Art of Deciding

The Art of Deciding is just six episodes old and already having an impact. As we wrap up 2024, here are just some of the life-changing lessons we've learned so far. The Art of Deciding is back mid-January with more fascinating decision-makers.Bruce Whitfield is an award winning journalist, best-selling author and popular speaker. More here: www.brucewhitfield.comYou can also follow him on Linkedin and get links to all his latest projects on LinktreeThe 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.

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/1785277987Asbjorn Rachlew TEDx Talk https://youtu.be/1H8Mcku6adA?si=d63cLq5RkGSqQEBAProfessor Gisli Gudjonsson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%ADsli_Gu%C3%B0j%C3%B3nssonThe 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.comThe 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.

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 _________________________________________ ReferencesLiv Boree - https://www.livboeree.com/The Win Win podcast - www.winwinpodcast.comBruce 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.

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 WHITFIELDBruce 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.comThe Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/Series Producer: Jayne MorganMusic: Brad O'Regan & DJ Darkness - https://soundcloud.com/dj-d-rkn3ssArtwork: Adam Richardson - https://www.podcastcoverart.co.uk/Audio engineer: Mark Pittam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When he was a young, bored accountant in Cape Town, Brad Fried decided to ring up Jim Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank to get some career advice. He figured - what’s the worst that could happen? Brad went on to chair the board of the Bank of England as well as Investec and Goldman Sachs. Hear how his 'art of deciding' is all about ‘the counterfactual’. Plus, discover his extraordinary insight into the power of silence when it comes to chairing committees - and how to avoid the deadening grip of groupthink. Discover more about Bruce Whitfield here - https://www.brucewhitfield.com/ The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/Series Producer: Jayne MorganMusic: Brad O'Regan & DJ Darkness - https://soundcloud.com/dj-d-rkn3ssArtwork: Adam Richardson - https://www.podcastcoverart.co.uk/Audio engineer: Mark Pittam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sharmadean Reid was a talented design student who loved technology - and getting her nails done. Now she’s one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs. What decisions took her from founding the smash hit brand WAH Nails at the age of 24 (clients included Serena Williams and Margot Robbie), to becoming the first black woman in the country to raise more than £1 million in venture capital? She tells us about her journey from art school into business, tech innovation and then towards her vision of gender equity - one she’s very willing to admit hasn’t been easy. In our second episode, hear about the extraordinary ‘art of deciding’ that has been at the heart of it.  One of Sharmadean’s recent decisions was to write a book, New Methods for Women: A Manifesto for Independence – 49 essays drawing on her own experience to help women do better in business … and in life. Find out more about that here - https://amzn.eu/d/aj8AbHX  Discover more about Bruce Whitfield here - https://www.brucewhitfield.com/ The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/Series Producer: Jayne MorganMusic: Brad O'Regan & DJ Darkness - https://soundcloud.com/dj-d-rkn3ssArtwork: Adam Richardson - https://www.podcastcoverart.co.uk/Audio engineer: Mark Pittam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some sources say a Jack Reacher book is sold every nine seconds, some say twenty. Either way, Lee Child is one of the most commercially successful authors ever. But he never intended to be a writer! What decisions led to his incredible achievements? In the first episode of The Art of Deciding, discover how Lee made the risky decision to solve a redundancy crisis by writing a best-seller. Find out what was behind the choices that brought to life one of the most popular action heroes of all time. Then, despite millions of adoring fans, learn how he nearly decided to kill Reacher off (“he was going to bleed to death on a filthy motel bathroom floor”) and what he chose to do instead. A brand-new Jack Reacher – In Too Deep – is out now. Find out more here - https://amzn.eu/d/9kIQFvGDiscover more about Bruce Whitfield here - https://www.brucewhitfield.com/ The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart - https://www.podcart.co.uk/Series Producer: Jayne MorganMusic: 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.

The internet says we make more than 35 000 decisions every day - from whether to have toast or porridge for breakfast to when to change job. These decisions shape our lives but how much do we know about the process of ‘deciding’? And how do we do it successfully? In The Art of Deciding, award-winning journalist Bruce Whitfield asks people who make big decisions for a living to reveal a little of how they do it. What have been their most crucial decisions, do they focus on gut instinct or data, how do they cope if the realise they've gone for the wrong option? The series brings together some of the best insight from people whose decisions have had far-reaching consequences, so that we can perfect our own ‘art of deciding’. Find out more about Bruce Whitfield at https://www.brucewhitfield.com/The Art of Deciding is produced by Podcart https://www.podcart.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.