The Science of Success

In this episode we discuss information overload. How do you deal with a world where there is a constant and overwhelming stream of noise. How do you filter and decide what to pay attention to? How can you determine what’s worth your precious time and attention? What should you do with information that you disagree with? In a world full of more and more information, this interview with Dr. Thomas Hills explores the solution that will help you finally deal with information overload.  Dr. Thomas Hills is a professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick. His research involves using algorithmic approaches to understanding the human condition through language, wellbeing, memory, and decision making. He is a current fellow of the Alan Turing Institute and the Director of the Bridges-Leverhulme Doctoral Training Centre. He also, co-directs Warwick's Global Research Priority in Behavioural Science and his works have been published in numerous academic journals.What is Information Overload?This is a phenomenon that has crept into our lives and yet it’s gone largely unnoticed - we’ve had to outsource the information filtering in some way There’s so much information that we have to outsource the filtering process in some way - either to other people, experts, thought leaders, or algorithms Dr. Hill’s research began from studying how we make tough choices across hugely complex fields, beginning with things like how children learn language The question we have to ask ourselves - what’s the best way to go about dealing with something like information overload? Whether we are looking at religion or even something as simple as the food you eat - you have the same problemPeople only look for information that supports their existing beliefs and that is “incredibly dangerous.” We only know the language/vocabulary of our past experiences - and that’s what we begin with to filter out our understanding of the world People tend to have very similar reactions to similar situations - learn from the experiences of similar people You must look for people who have done or experienced what you want to understand and learn from them - case studies and base ratesIt’s essential to seek out the beliefs and ideas from those you disagree with There is an infinite amount of information around you - your brain can’t process all of it and is forced to filter out certain experiences and events What is an attentional bottleneck? How does it shape our understanding of reality?What is negativity bias? How does the innate, evolutionary bias baked into our brain cause us to focus on things that are negative It’s really important to ask yourself - WHAT AM I BIASED ABOUT?If you’re not getting outside of your box, your safety zone, you’re getting dumber. By exposing yourself to other people’s criticism you get smarter You have to be willing to be wrong about something to get more right about itAsk yourself - how might I be wrong? Why might I be wrong? Try to harness the wisdom of the crowd in your own head Homework: If you know ahead of time what it is you want out of your relationship with reality and what it takes to get there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss how to beat FOMO - the Fear of Missing Out. How do you overcome the emotional barriers and fears of missing out and saying no to things? How do you get over the awful feeling of turning down opportunities? We share simple actionable strategies for you to say yes to yourself and for you to say yes to what’s really important and actually matters in your life. We share a great strategy you can use to make a huge difference in your life in two minutes or less and we dig into the important concept that in a world drunk on speed, slowness is a superpower - all that much more with our guest Carl Honore. Carl Honore is a bestselling author, broadcaster and the creator of the Slow Movement. His TED talk on the benefits of slowing down has been viewed 2.6 million times. Carl has spoken all over the world to audiences ranging from business leaders and entrepreneurs to teachers, academics and medical practitioners. He is the author of In Praise of Slow, Under Pressure, The Slow Fix, and most recently Bolder. His books have been translated into 35 languages and been on the bestseller’s list of as many countries.The world is speeding up and speeding up - how do we deal with the constantly accelerating pace of change and the rush for speed?“Forget frantic acceleration, mastering the clock of business means choosing when to be fast, and when to be slow."Do you suffer from FOMO? Are you like a hamster on a wheel trying to do, learn, experience and achieve as much as possible as quickly as possible? By becoming a hamster on a wheel you end up missing EVERYTHING and getting NOTHING and skimming the surface of life. “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.” - Warren Buffet "You can have anything you want but you can’t have everything” - Ray Dalio How do you get over the emotional barriers and fears of missing out and saying no to things?Take one thing off your to-do list each day and put that item on your “not to do” listBy saying NO, you say YES to something much more important - your really important priorities and goals The most creative minds, the people who’ve gotten the most done throughout history are the people who understand the power of MOMENTS OF QUIET. You will be more engaged, more switched on, more effective when you are in fast mode when you take the time to have moments of quiet. Sometimes you can get things done more quickly when you slow down.Multi-tasking is nonsense, the human mind cannot multitask. A “fast” multi-tasker will take twice as long and make twice as many mistakes as a slow “mono tasker"When you move too fast everything becomes a blur and nothing remains with you. It harms your memory. There’s an intimate bond between memory and slowness. There is no such thing as a quick fix. Slow fixes actually work. When a quick fix blows up later on, sometimes we're forced to spend the time and money to get it right the second time. Invest that time and money now on a real solution.What does it mean to be aging in a world that is obsessed with youth?We are in the “golden age of aging” - there’s never been a better time in human history to be agingHomework: Do less. Look at your todo list and start cutting things out of it. Drop one thing a day and let more oxygen into your schedule. Homework: Create time where you aren’t reachable and can unplug from gadgets. Turn your smartphone into a tool instead of a weapon of mass distraction. Homework: Integrate some kind of slow practice into your day. Meditate, cook, go for a walk. Anything that can inoculate you against the virus of hurry.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss cutting edge brain hacks that sound like they are straight out of science fiction. Is it possible to use technology to rapidly change the structure of your brain? How does your brain actually learn? What is neuroplasticity and why is it so important? What are the key things you can do in your life to improve your brain health, memory and performance? We discuss all of this, along with a truly innovative technology that may be the key to unlocking super performance and massively accelerating your learning with our guest Dr. Daniel Chao. Dr. Daniel Chao is a neurotech entrepreneur, specializing in devices that improve brain performance. He is the co-founder and CEO of Halo Neuroscience. The company’s first product, Halo Sport, is the first neurostimulation system built specifically for athletes. Before Halo, Dr. Chao was the head of business development at NeuroPace, and a consultant at McKinsey & Company.Your brain is a living computer chip that can create new circuits on demandYour brain is “plastic” The Nobel prize in the year 2000 went to the scientists who discovered neuroplasticity and the mechanisms behind itNeuroplasticity is the process by which the brain learnsWhat actually happens in the brain when you are learning a new skill?What happens to the brain and your neural connections when you learn a new skill?Focused, repetitive, deliberate practice starts to build thicker and thicker and faster and faster neural connections Repetition is the foundation of practice - you’re literally building physical connections in your brain that get stronger and stronger, the more you repeat that practice The first time you learn something it’s like hacking a path through the jungle with a machete, then it’s like hiking through tough brush, then it’s a dirt road, then it becomes a paved road, then ultimately a highway and a superhighway “Myleanation”- the cabling inside the brain The brain is a plastic organ and it adapts to your needs Repeated practice, learning, and thoughts literally change the physical structure of your brain The brain is literally built on the principle of “use it or lose it” - if you aren’t using your brain, those parts atrophy and shrink What are some strategies we can implement to optimize our brain and improve our brain health?Sleep is one of the most important and obvious strategies for optimizing and improving brain health. Your day is “unequal”- you have better executive function in the first part of the day. Prioritize the most difficult and most important work in the early part of the day because you will be at a cognitive peak. How can we take advantage of emerging brain science to “hack” the brain or “hack” learning? What if you put electrodes into your brain to stimulate learning and memory?Starting in our late teens, our ability to learn stats to decline - can we use cutting edge science to reverse that?If you use electrical stimulation on your brain - it opens up about an hour of “hyper plasticity”- a super learning window Slapping a “motor cortex neurostimulator” onto your brain - can be for any physical activity, playing violin, shooting a gun, playing video games, performing surgery etc What happens to the additional “lift” in learning you get from neurostimulation? How “durable” is that learning?The safety data for neurostimulation is incredibly robust- over 250,000 neurostimulation sessions its incredibly safe, there are over 4000 scientific articles about the safety of neurostimulation Homework: Sleep, exercise is GREAT for brain health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we welcome legendary researcher Dr Brené Brown to the Science of Success. We discuss vulnerability and learn that vulnerability is not weakness, it’s not oversharing, it’s not soft. We learn that even brave and courageous people are scared all the time. We discuss the incredible power of learning to get back up when you’re down, how you can stop caring about what other people think about you, and much more in this in depth interview. Dr Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work. She is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and her latest book, Dare to Lead, which is the culmination of a seven-year study on courage and leadership. Brené’s TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 35 million views. She is also the first researcher to have a filmed talk on Netflix, “The Call to Courage” which debuted in April 2019.Life is about the willingness to show up, to put yourself out there, to be all in, when you can’t control the outcome It’s not the critic who counts - it’s easy to spend your life in the cheap seats and hurl judgement at people who are trying and failing Our society doesn’t teach people how to get back up when the fall. Everyone spends their whole life tiptoeing around to ensure they never fall, but the more important skill is to build the skill of GETTING BACK UP. The importance of experiencing adversity. There’s a line between adversity and trauma, we need to experience. It’s not about being perfect at walking, it’s about LEARNING THE SKILL SET OF GETTING BACK UP AGAIN AND AGAINCourage is learnable, teachable, and measurable Courage is essentially the same thing as vulnerability. The Willingness to show up, put yourself out there, and be seen when you can’t control the outcome. Vulnerability, at its core, is about Uncertainty, Risk, and Emotional Exposure“There is no courage without vulnerability” Vulnerability is not as hard, scary, or dangerous as getting to the end of your life and asking “what if I would have shown up?"One of the most defining lessons of Brene’s seven-year study on leadership is the importance of courageous leadership. Even brave and courageous people are scared all the time. It’s not fear that gets in the way of us being brave or vulnerable, it’s armor. What is your go-to armor? How do you self protect when you feel emotionally at risk or exposed?How do you start to take off the armor? Loving kindness and self-compassion. When you work so hard to keep the peace on the outside, you wage a war internally. It’s not your job to make sure you don’t disappoint anyone.You can replace the armor with something that helps you - CURIOSITYGet curious about how you’re showing up, is it serving you? Are you self protecting in a way that’s keeping you small? Your brain thinks in stories - it builds and creates stories to explain the world around you - even if those stories are wrong.A lot of the time we create stories that don’t reflect reality in any way. Why you should start using “The story I'm telling myself…” or “The story I’m making up right now is…"Homework: Take the daring leader survey. Homework: Educate yourself. Watch her TED talk, her Netflix special, read her books. Creating a shared vocabulary is the root of change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, we discuss how to hack your brain to finally create the results you want in life. We take a hard look at what really drivers results and the reality that knowledge and skill aren’t what make you successful - the subconscious drives your behavior, that’s it. You don’t need any more tools to achieve your goals, you just need to change your beliefs and your subconscious set points for success, happiness, and achievement. Action is the ultimate arbiter of your success, are you taking enough of it, and how can you take more? We discuss all of this and much more with our guest John Assaraf. John Assaraf is an entrepreneur, brain researcher and the CEO of NeuroGym. He is the author of two New York Times best-selling books and his latest work is titled “Innercise: The New Science to Unlock Your Brain’s Hidden Power”. Throughout his career, he has worked some of the world's top minds and has shared his expertise with millions of viewers on Larry King Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and dozens of other media venues worldwide.Emotions are triggered in your subconscious, that then trigger neurochemicals, which cause feelings, which you either like the experience of or don’t like How do you deal with the subconscious fear of failure or disappointment? Emotions are just signals for what’s going on in your brain and in your body Instead of focusing on just on the emotion - focus on what’s CAUSING the emotion - use the emotion as a signal When you don’t understand what’s causing you to be afraid and stopping you from taking action - you will be a VICTIM of your emotions Our behaviors are an EFFECT - if you take action, that’s an effect, if you don’t take action, that’s an effect. Ask yourself - why am I taking (or not taking) the action I want to take?What does real science say that can help you really understand what’s going on?Results are nothing more than effects… but the effects of WHAT?What causes RESULTS in your life?Whenever we have an implicit subconscious belief that differs from a conscious explicit belief we have “neural chaos” and you will “rationalize why you can’t or shouldn’t do it” Not taking action is a behavior. So is taking action. What’s going on in my subconscious mind that is preventing me from taking action?If your values are in conflict with your beliefs - you won’t get the results you want.Knowledge doesn’t drive behavior. Skill doesn’t drive behavior. The subconscious drives behavior. That’s it. How do you embark on the deliberate conscious evolution of yourself?People often confuse GATHERING information with what it takes to impregnate that information into the subconscious You have to practice and exercise and build “neuro muscles” over and over again It takes hours and hours of practice, hundreds and hundreds of hours in many cases - to learn behavior or habit into the brain. The new era of personal development and the new science of success is about understanding brain circuitry and reprogramming it People often don’t need more TOOLS - the problem is that your beliefs and financial set points get stuck How John’s mindset principles created $100mm in 6 months at his real estate company Are you interested in achieving your goals or are you COMMITTED to them?Homework: Cognitive priming. Ask yourself - what do you want from every area of your life?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss improving your “mental nutrition.” Decades ago we realized that our society had started eroding our physical health, with desk jobs and fast food, and we became conscious of the need for fitness and nutrition. Now, we stand at the precipice of an even bigger struggle - we are healthier and happier than ever before and yet anxiety, suicide, and depression are on the rise. How do we improve our mental fitness and take action to challenge our irrationality, our impulsiveness, and our bad habits? Do you want to finally move past inaction, procrastination, and laziness? Do you want to feel happier about the world? Listen to this interview with our returning guest Mark Manson. Mark Manson is the New York Times and international bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and his new already bestselling book Everything Is Fucked. His blog, markmanson.net, attracts more than two million readers per month. He is also the CEO and founder of Infinity Squared Media LLCThe world today is so polarized, mental health issues are on the rise, and yet we are physically safer and healthier than ever before. The better things get, the more anxious humans become about losing them Our world is filled with “hope narratives” that help us hide from the reality that on a cosmic scale we are truly insignificant How do you deal with life if you achieve all your goals early on?What happens when your hope narrative dies? The only defense against our own cosmic insignificance is creating meaning for ourselves Our values and emotions aren’t tethered to our rational thoughts. The thinking brain vs the feeling brain. All the issues around purpose, discipline, control and importance are EMOTIONAL issues, not intellectual issues. The first step to create value and meaning in your life is to develop an action oriented bias. Humans are largely irrational creatures. Most of our actions are impulsive, selfish, and not well thought through, and our conscious mind spends a huge chunk of it’s time and energy coming up with reasons - rationalizations - to explain and justify what the unconscious mind wants to do. You probably think that all your actions are rational and justified - but have you ever really thought about and looked into the narratives and stories you use to explain away bad habits and behaviors in your life?Emotional intelligence is the core of understanding the dialogue between your conscious thoughts and your emotional reactions to your thoughts You must learn to barter with your feeling brain, keep lowering the stakes until your feeling brain is willing to get on board with what your thinking brain wants to do Why is our society, and why are people, so fragile today, and how can we toughen up?Technology today is designed and geared to take advantage and exploit our psychological flaws -what if we had technology that did the opposite, that corrected our cognitive biases? Information diet & mental nutrition - you must take responsibility for your own mental consumption habits, your own mental habits, you must read things that challenge you, consider that your ideas may be wrongHomework: Unfollow or unfriend at least half of the people you follow or friend, including news and media sources Homework: In terms of personal habits think about your goals in terms of thinking brain vs feeling brain - you must find a way to work with your emotions instead of against them. Strike a bargain with your feeling brain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, we discuss the truth about championship performance. Nobody becomes a champion by accident. We uncover the counter-intuitive reality that being a champion isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing less. We expose the reality that most people spend too much time planning and not enough time acting and share the specific habits and routines that you can use to model your behavior after champions with our guest Dana Cavalea. Dana Cavalea is a high-level performance coach, speaker, and author. He coaches Pro Athletes, Entrepreneurs, and Business Executives on lifestyle strategies to improve daily performance and outcomes. He is the former Director of Performance for the New York Yankees, whom he led to a World Series Championship in 2009. In his first book, Habits of a Champion, he shares his own secrets to becoming a champion.Nobody becomes a champion by accident.When you study high-level performers and world champions - what habits and abilities make them different from everybody else?Champions are extremely consistent and extremely persistent It takes a lot of work to become a champion - but there are commonalities What makes people champions - a deep focus on the simple fundamentals and the basics. It’s not about quick fixes, it’s not about “hacks” and short cuts - it's about really executing the basics and the fundamentals. Step one for champions - MASTERY OF MINDSETSelf-awareness is another cornerstone of championship performanceWhat is the mindset of a champion? What are the common mindsets of champions?How do we learn from and emulate and ultimately create a championship mindset for ourselves?What can Derek Jeter teach us about the psychology and mindset of champions?Baseball is a sport that is “built around failure” and what that can teach us about the psychology of performance?Reframe negative moments into positive momentsIt’s about training your mind to see things in a certain way Focusing on externals - focusing on others and what they are doing won’t get you to where you want to go Championship performance is not about doing more, it’s about doing LESSNo two people should have the same daily routine - we are all at different places in our journey, we have different strengths, different needs, etc How do you go about crafting your own daily routine?Dana recommends starting with your health as the basis of your daily routine The best place to begin changing your mindset is to start with the physical body - activating the body, hydrating the body, taking care of your body What is your vision for yourself? What are you trying to build? What are you trying to create?How important is consistency to world-class performance?You can’t be consistent at everything. You have to keep it simple. Keep it small. Keep it very focused. If you have too many things, you won’t be consistent. Identify what is interrupting your ability to be consistent. Identify things that are draining your energy away. Environments can impact your feeling - it’s important to create environments that enable you to focus on rest and recovery. Create a transition between work and home Homework: Ask yourself if you’re ready to take action and commit to what it is you say you want. Ask yourself - are you willing to do the work?Homework: Start with the basics - hydration and mindset. Built consistency slowly with small habits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss how you’re wrong about what you think will make you happy. Research shows that the vast majority of people are terrible at predicting what will actually make them happy and even when you think you know what makes you happy, you’re often wrong. We break apart the core delusions that stop you from being happy, and we dig into a scientific analysis of the state of “enlightenment” to uncover that it’s not just something for Buddhist monks, but a measurable brain state that can achieved by anyone, anywhere with our guests Dr. Ash ElDifrawi and Dr. Alex Lickerman. Dr. Ash ElDifrawi is a thought leader in clinical, social, and consumer psychology. He's been featured in The Economist, Forbes, Bloomberg, the WSJ and much more. Dr. Alex Lickerman is the author of The Undefeated Mind and physician. He is the former assistant professor of medicine, director of primary care, and assistant vice president for Student Health and Counseling Services at the University of Chicago. His work has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, USA Today and much more!What you think you need to be happy is wrong Your current beliefs about how to achieve happiness are “delusions” Most of the things you think will make you happy are “delusional beliefs"Does happiness come from getting the things you want?What happens when you lose the things that you’ve anchored your happiness to?It’s like a stick of gum - you get a hit, but then the taste and flavor fade over timeThe science shows that this is a neurological phenomenon - we habituate to any attachment we have. We start to take things for granted. It’s delusional to think that getting something you want is going to make you a happier person. Because of our psychology and our neurology - you can get stuck on a hedonic treadmill and you always come back to your baseline level of happiness. The question for happiness began with empirical study of science, psychology and researchBuddhist philosophers have been observing the mind for 2500 years, in many ways they were some of the earliest psychologists There has been an explosion of research on happiness and yet unhappiness is increasing, too much of the current research is too superficial How can the belief that happiness is about the avoidance of pain lead to more pain, suffering and unhappiness?The Nine “Core Delusions” that prevent you from being happy Any attachment, by definition it’s ability to provide you joy is temporary. All external attachments are eventually lost. All attachments are temporary. Every attachment contains the seed of future suffering. How do you get ENDURING INDESTRUCTIBLE HAPPINESS? Instead of temporary happiness?Could enlightenment be a reproducible life experience? “The default mode network” - the self referential part of the brain How do you “pierce the veil of illusion of the self?"Enlightenment, the scientific brain state of transdencent joy, is something that can be achieved by anyone, anywhere. It’s not just for buddhist monks. How can we reach for the state of awe in our every day lives? How can we move towards enlightenment in our everyday lives? Homework: Become mindful to the degree to which these core delusions determine how happy you are. When something makes you unhappy, ask yourself what has happened that has made you unhappy, what core belief has this event stirred up in you that has made you unhappy?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss the important difference between competence and confidence and look at the dangers of focusing too much on building up your self esteem. We explore the “gift of failure” and why, sometimes, it’s better to let children fail than to try and make them feel better. We learn why frustration is a vital and important piece of the learning process, why we must consider the inevitability of failure, and we uncover “one of the most powerful teaching tools” you can use to learn, grow, and improve with our guest Jessica Lahey. Jessica Lahey is a teacher, writer, and author. She is an expert contributor for The Atlantic and the New York Times, and is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. She is also a member of the Amazon Studios Thought Leader Board.The trajectory of parenting today into “overparenting” is dangerous and worrisome Propping up kids self confidence and telling them how wonderful they are has done children a serious disservice Kids today are more anxious, less interested in taking risks, less interested in learning, and less interested in being brave. They don’t have any experience trying and screwing things up and learning how to do things better. There has been a big drop-off in interest in learning, motivation for learning, and self awareness - all because of the self esteem movementWhen the vision of them being super talented doesn’t match up with their reality - having struggles and problems, which are inevitable - the disconnect creates serious problems for kids and erodes their trust in their parents. Kids become confused. At an early age - turn it around and ask your kids “What do YOU think?” Instead of just telling them they are brilliant. Help them build an internal compass for quality. To succeed - kids must be able to take feedback.It never gets easy to withhold praise from your kids and give them real feedback - but it’s vitally important. Emphasize the PROCESS over the END PRODUCT in what you praise 90% of kids feel like we love them more when they bring home high grades. The dangers of “outcome love” or “performance love” and why its highly destructive to kids on an emotional levelWhen your kids fail - that’s not the end point, that's the starting point for learning. Are you a parent listening to this who says “but I really do care about results, I care about grades” not this other BS - what should you do?How can we redesign our schools and learning system to focus on mastery instead of cramming and playing games?Kids feel like they can’t take to their parents when their parents become super fixated on grades. Focus on the long term - how do you want to shape your kids in the future? Not just this one particular grade or issue. Be an “autonomy supportive parent” and focus on preparing your kids to handle this particular challenge or problem NEXT TIME not just this immediate moment or problemWhy frustration is a vital and important piece of the learning process. Support your kids frustration and let them learn to direct themselves. What is “desirable difficulty?” And why is it “one of the most powerful teaching tools” we have?Kids who can’t be frustrated fall apart whenever they face difficulty. The way to overcome learned helplessness is to give your children autonomy and control. The reality is that failure is inevitable - and it's very dangerous to make our kids brittle in the face of a difficult and challenging world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss how you can get smarter in a complex and complicated world. How do you deal with confusing and difficult situations? How do you work through some of your life’s most complex problems? In a world of accelerating change, how do you accelerate the quest for wisdom and creativity? We share simple, powerful, solutions you can use to handle complexity in this interview with our guests David Komlos and David Benjamin.David Komlos and David Benjamin - they are the CEO and CTO respectively of the company Syntegrity. Mr. Komlos is an expert coach for leaders on solving their issues. He advises top leaders and enterprises on how to dramatically accelerate solutions and execution on their defining challenges. Mr. Benjamin leads Syntegrity’s lab and client delivery organization. He has been recognized internationally for his work on global strategic planning with top executives in Fortune 500 companies.What is complexity? Why is it so important to be able to handle complexity in today’s world?How is complex different than complicated? Experts can help solve complicated challenges, but not necessarily complex challenges Complex challenges are multi-dimensional and human.What are some basic mental models for sorting complex challenges vs complicated challenges?Ask yourself:Has this been solved before? And how was it solved? Would this problem have been the same 5 years ago or 5 years from now?Complex challenges don’t have a recipe or a discreet playbook to be solvedPlanning a wedding is complicated, having a happy marriage is complex Building a fence is complicated, being a good neighbor is complex The Law of Requisite Variety / Ashby’s Law "Only variety can destroy variety"You can only solve complex challenges by bringing an equal amount of variety to a challenge When we are facing tough complex challenges - we need a variety of experience and expertise “A Lion In Your Office"Often a BIG chunk of the challenge is just SEEING the problem in its entirety An ounce of information is worth a pound of data. An ounce of knowledge is worth a pound of information. An ounce of understanding is worth a pound of knowledge. An ounce of wisdom is worth a pound of understanding. Shared understanding is essential - but we often rush to action before we get there We need FAST Wisdom and CREATIVE Judgement to solve our biggest challenges in today’s world - but wisdom takes a lifetime How do you accelerate the quest for wisdom and solve the world’s toughest and most complex challenges?Complexity is the defining challenge we face in todays’ worldHow do you engineer Fast Wisdom?The framework you can use to engineer “fast wisdom” and solve tough, complex challenges N*N-1 Mental Model and how to create “collaborative collisions” The ideal number of a group of people to work in a group is 5-8 people - you can have very creative and effective collisions How you can create groups to crunch through tough, complex challenges - by using this specific formulaObserversCriticsMembersHow do you ask good questions when looking to solve tough challenges?Homework: Think about a dinner party. What question will guide the conversation in the right way? Who would you invite to create variety?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.