The Decision Education Podcast

Season 3 of The Decision Education Podcast unveils decision-making tips from experts in habits, Stoicism, decision intelligence, and behavior change. Dr. Joe Sweeney, your host, engages our guests in fruitful discussions where they unpack their decision toolkits and share how the world might look different if we practiced decision-making  skills from a younger age. Tune in to listen!

How does embracing decision science lead to domination in the NBA? Daryl Morey, President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers and Co-founder of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, joins our guest host Annie Duke, to talk about his unique basketball mindset and key decision-making insights learned from working at the very top of the professional game. Daryl and Annie discuss the hidden Math of the basketball court, why teams should test radical strategies in every game, why so many teams overlooked the value of the 3-point shot for so long, and how rapidly adapting to rule changes is critical to gaining a competitive edge. Daryl also talks about what to do when facing an opponent that’s better than you, and reveals the surprising strategies which give you the best chance of still winning.

What can we learn from individuals who make life-and-death decisions in the most dangerous environments on the planet? Dr. Ken Kamler, Expedition Climber, Microsurgeon, and Extreme Medicine Doctor, joins our guest host Annie Duke, to talk about decision-making insights discovered on his perilous expeditions on Mount Everest, and to share his powerful account of the notorious 1996 Mount Everest Disaster. Ken and Annie discuss the importance of sticking to turnaround times on an ascent to save yourself from flawed in-the-moment decision-making, the mental challenge of turning back so close to the summit, and why Olympic bronze medalists are surprisingly often happier than silver medalists. Ken also reveals what the true goal on Everest is—hint: it's not to get to the top—and how getting the time horizons of our goals wrong can have devastating consequences for all of us.

What do the NFL’s most legendary general managers do when making tough decisions at the highest level? Michael Lombardi, former NFL general manager and three-time Super Bowl winner, joins our guest host Annie Duke, to talk about decision-making insights learned from 3 decades in the game, working alongside coaching and general manager legends Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers, Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders, and Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, among others. Michael and Annie discuss how popular narratives have the power to derail good decision-making, why it’s important to get comfortable being uncomfortable, the value of curiosity on our personal life journeys, why offensive coordinators need to think like defensive coordinators, why true loyalty involves sharing unpopular perspectives, and Michael’s vision for “change departments” in all organizations in the NFL and beyond.

Does Rich Eisen’s suit slow him down in the 40 yard dash? Rich Eisen, NFL Network and The Rich Eisen Show Host, and Les Snead, General Manager of the Los Angeles Rams, talk with our guest host, Annie Duke about how to balance using analytics with intuition and past experience to make fast in-game decisions, how an NFL franchise can best work together and pool their judgments and information, and the influence of emotions on gut feelings. You’ll also hear about resulting bias and how many fans feel about analytics-based decisions that result in bad outcomes.

How can we have better conversations with people who have different beliefs from us? Andrew Berry, General Manager of the Cleveland Browns and Alliance Board Member, joins our guest host Annie Duke, to talk about how decision-makers can benefit from getting comfortable with uncertainty, how the pandemic highlighted overconfidence and the illusion of control, what it means for general managers to have one foot in the present and one in the future, as well as three strategies to reduce bias. You’ll also hear about how the world might look different if we taught kids how to think instead of what to think.

How do we decide when to play it safe, and when to take the risk? Award-winning author, journalist, and professional poker player, Dr. Maria Konnikova, talks with our guest host, Annie Duke, about how poker parallels uncertainty in life, the hidden downside of avoiding risks, how to decide what to do next professionally, and how her fascinating career trajectory resembles a constellation more so than a straight line. She also reveals what you often need besides smarts and hard work to get where you want to go.

Join us for Season 2 of the Decision Education Podcast, launching in  Summer 2021! In this season, our guest host is Alliance co-founder,  best-selling author, and celebrated speaker, Annie Duke,  and we’re turning our attention to decision-making in the world of  high-performance sports.  These conversations with high-stakes sports  figures, discussing the biggest decisions of their careers, reveal  powerful and practical insights about the science of decision-making at  the highest level, for us all to use in our own lives.

How do we balance the tradeoff between spending more time on a decision and achieving more certainty about it? Best-selling author and decision strategist, Annie Duke, joins your host, Executive Director of the Alliance for Decision Education, Dr. Joe Sweeney, for a Bonus Episode of The Decision Education Podcast, recorded in May 2020. In this episode from our archives, Annie and Joe discuss things that fall inside and outside of our control in life, the ways in which we veer from rationality, the value of humbly holding our beliefs, parenting tips for the pandemic, how we can use mental time travel to help us cope with the present, and the illusion of uncertainty. You’ll also hear about why quitting can be a good thing.

World Chess Champion and human rights activist Garry Kasparov joins host Dr. Joe Sweeney to discuss decision-making on the chessboard, facing competition, making decisions in the right environment, importance of exploration, risks, and adapting education for the future.