#28 Michael Mauboussin: A Decision Making Jedi

Michael Mauboussin returns for a fascinating encore interview on the Knowledge Project. We geek out on decision making, luck vs. skill, work life balance, and so much more.

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Michael Mauboussin is back as a returning guest on the Knowledge Project!

He was actually the very first guest on the podcast when it was still very much an experiment. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to continue with the show. (If you missed his last interview, you can listen to it here, or if you’re a member of The Learning Community, you can download a transcript.)

Michael is one of my very favorite people to talk to, and I couldn’t wait to pick up right where we left off.

In this interview, Michael and I dive deep into some of the topics we care most about here at Farnam Street, including:

The concept of “base rates” and how they can help us make far better decisions and avoid the pain and consequences of making poor choices. How to know where you land on the luck/skill continuum and why it matters Michael’s advice on creating a systematic decision-making process in your organization to improve outcomes. The two most important elements of any decision-making process How to train your intuition to be one of your most powerful assets instead of a dangerous liability The three tests Michael uses in his company to determine the health and financial stability of his environment Why “algorithm aversion” is creating such headaches in many organizations and how to help your teams overcome it, so you can make more rapid progress The most impactful books that he’s read since we last spoke, is reading habits, and the strategies he uses to get the most of every book The importance of sleep in Michael's’ life to make sure his body and mind are running at peak efficiency His greatest failures and what he learned from them How Michael and his wife raised their kids and the unique parenting style they adopted How Michael defines happiness and the decisions he makes to maximize the joy in his life

Any one of those insights alone is worth a listen, so I think you’re really going to enjoy this interview.

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