Mental models for business decisions with Roger Martin

PodcastMay 10, 2022
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We live in this uncertain world. You never know what the future's going to hold for sure so you have to make bets about the future that are based on a model. The real key to being a successful person in life is not how smart are you on day one, it's how much better can I get? How much can I improve myself? You improve yourself through learning and consolidating that learning in order to make, hopefully, a better decision the next time.

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Intro

In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke is joined for the second time by Roger Martin, one the the world’s leading business minds, the former dean of the Rotman School of Business, and the author of the newly released book A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness. This time around, the two discuss how mental models guide business decisions, and how we can restructure failing mental models to improve ourselves, our teams, and our organizations. 

Topics discussed include: 

  •  When you should give up on your mental models - and when to keep pushing at it
  •  Why writing down your decision making process is vital - and the dangerous behaviors that occur if you don’t
  •  The simple, but powerful “if-then” model
  •  How socializing strategy can help us scale over decision-making hurdles
  •  Why you should make the most skeptical person in the room in charge of test design
  •  How to overcome disappointing decisions - and why they are so important to make

About the Guest

Roger Martin 2

Roger Martin

Named the #1 management thinker in the world in 2017, Roger Martin has extensive experience in business management and advising. Roger received his BA from Harvard College and subsequently received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Remaining in the world of academia, Roger is a Professor Emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where he previously served as Dean from 1998 to 2013. Roger has also acted as a trusted strategy advisor to recognizable companies such as Procter & Gamble, Lego, and Ford, and served as a Director of Monitor Company for 13 years, a global strategy consulting firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Roger’s research has been popularized through his twelve books including: When More is Not Better: Overcoming America's Obsession with Economic Efficiency; Creating Great Choices; and Playing to Win. His new book, A New Way to Think, offers a fresh, comprehensive guide to the essentials of strategy and management. He currently serves as Chair of the Good Jobs Institute and the I-Think Initiative, helping companies thrive by creating good jobs and transforming student thinking with a community-built approach to real-world problem solving, respectively.

About the Interviewer

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Dr. Brooke Struck

Dr. Brooke Struck is the Research Director at The Decision Lab. He is an internationally recognized voice in applied behavioural science, representing TDL’s work in outlets such as Forbes, Vox, Huffington Post and Bloomberg, as well as Canadian venues such as the Globe & Mail, CBC and Global Media. Dr. Struck hosts TDL’s podcast “The Decision Corner” and speaks regularly to practicing professionals in industries from finance to health & wellbeing to tech & AI.

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