CM 023: Donald Sull on Making Smarter Decisions

Every day we have problems to solve and decisions to make. Too often, the steps we take to address them result in more complexity, rather than less. That is where simple rules come in. Donald Sull, bestselling author of Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World offers a six-step framework for better decision-making that has been tested with individuals and with organizations. An expert in global strategy, Don is a senior lecturer at MIT and a former professor at Harvard University and the London Business School. Using vivid examples and powerful stories, Don helps us see the creative impact of developing and applying simple rules. In this episode, we talk about: ways simple rules support strategy and encourage innovation the ways simple rules beat out one-size-fits-all rules the six-part framework to make simple rules of your own why we need to involve the users of the rules in the creation process how feedback only makes rules better over time how simple rules can support personal and organizational agency and ownership Episode Links @simple_rules donsull.com Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World by Donald Sull and Kathleen Eisenhardt Oakland As Billy Beane The Gates Foundation Why the French Do Not Get Fat Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink Collin Payne Pierre Chandon Murmuration Craig Reynolds Orcs Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Zipcar and Robin Chase Votorantim Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger Young Presidents Organization Elmore Leonard Tina Fey and 30 Rock If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate and review it on iTunes. For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to subscribe. Thanks for listening!