How to Be Awesome at Your Job

900: Six Mindsets For Thriving in Uncertain Times with Charles Conn

Sep 21, 2023

Charles Conn, an investor, environmentalist, and entrepreneur, shares strategies for thriving in uncertain times. Topics include self-sabotage, clever breakthroughs, effective communication, embracing risk, curiosity, innovation from different perspectives, imperfectionism, compelling storytelling, and collective intelligence through outsourcing.

50:01

Episode guests

Charles Conn

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Quick takeaways

Being curious and open to different perspectives is crucial in problem-solving, leading to breakthrough solutions.

Embracing imperfection and taking small, reversible steps allows for experimentation, learning, and confident navigation in a rapidly changing world.

Deep dives

Importance of Curiosity and Collective Intelligence in Problem Solving

Being curious and open to different perspectives is crucial in problem-solving. It is important to ask questions and explore different angles to gather insights that can lead to breakthrough solutions. Embracing collective intelligence and outsourcing wisdom, whether from ancient knowledge or artificial intelligence, can also bring fresh perspectives and diverse ideas to the problem-solving process.

The Importance of Humility in Organizations

01:37

The Story of How Nespresso Was Created

01:18

Taking Others' Perspectives: The Power of Workshops and Customer Feedback

01:06

The Power of Collective Intelligence

01:55

Introduction

2min

Embracing Risk and Uncertainty

9min

The Power of Curiosity in a Fast-Paced World

16min

A Revolutionary Perspective: Transforming Orthodontia Through Clear Teeth Corrections

2min

Gaining new perspectives for innovation

3min

Embracing Imperfectionism: Overcoming Emotional Challenges and Taking Strategic Risks

4min

The Power of Compelling Storytelling

8min

Collective Intelligence and Outsourcing Expertise

5min

Charles Conn shares how to be strategic and make breakthroughs when things are uncertain.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) How talented people unknowingly self-sabotage.

2) The simple question that leads to clever breakthroughs.

3) How to communicate your ideas so people will care.

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep900 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT CHARLES —

Charles Conn is an investor, environmentalist, and entrepreneur. He is co-founder of Monograph, a venture firm, and was previously CEO of the Rhodes Trust in Oxford. He is Board Chair of Patagonia and sits on The Nature Conservancy European Council. He was founding CEO of Ticketmaster-Citysearch, and was a partner at McKinsey & Company. He is a graduate of Harvard, Oxford and Boston Universities.

He is co-author with Robert McLean of Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything, published with Wiley in 2019, a best-seller now in six languages, and The Imperfectionists: Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times, 2023.

• Book: Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything (website)

• Book: The Imperfectionists: Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times (website)

• LinkedIn: Charles Conn

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Article: “M.B.A. Students vs. ChatGPT: Who Comes Up With More Innovative Ideas?” by Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich (and full-text PDF of paper)

• Website: Kaggle

• Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

• Book: Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman by Robert Updegraff

• Book: The Selfish Gene (Popular Science) by Richard Dawkins

• Book: Biodiversity by E. O. Wilson

• Past episode: 896: Finding More Success and Joy in Everything You Do with Suneel Gupta

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