The Art of Deciding

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.