In Provoke: How Leaders Shape the Future by Overcoming Fatal Human Flaws, renowned strategy consultant and best-selling author Geoff Tuff explains how people tend to act tentatively in the face of uncertainty, and shares the tools we need to do things differently.
Key Takeaways
[3:50] Geoff loves being in ironic situations and exploring the concept of true irony.
[4:50] At the core, Geoff is a behaviorist and loves to watch people and spot them in ironic situations.
[7:15] If you’re trying to be ironic, then you’re not acting within the humility that’s required in a leader.
[11:00] Geoff’s newest book, Provoke, is about empowering leaders to lead in times of uncertainty.
[11:40] Every single day, leaders manage risk by using data to make educated decisions. In times of uncertainty, there’s no metric you can use to make things certain again. Instead, you have to provoke a reaction in the market to test new waters.
[16:00] Geoff shares some of the common cognitive biases we all have.
[18:20] People aren’t evolving fast enough. We have these biases for a reason: survival. Leaders can overcome it, but they can’t do it alone.
[21:20] It’s hard for the brain to come up with, and think through, some of these complex technological thought experiments because we’ve never really had to live in that environment before. This is why you need cognitive diversity.
[21:45] By having a diverse set of opinions, you’re able to see a wide range of different paths in front of you.
[23:30] AI can only get us so far. We still need human imagination to curate the AI experience.
[26:15] There are five behaviors that make you a provoker, but you use each one differently based on context.
[29:00] Geoff explains why the act of sailing and sailors tend to have a natural ability to lead during times of uncertainty.
[34:30] Sports are zero-sum games. You either win or you lose. In business, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can call your own shots.
[37:45] The most complicated action to take is “activation” to rally those around you for maximum collaboration potential. The ability for any individual organization to own a space or to do it alone is declining. You have to be a partner in the ecosystem if you want to succeed.
[39:50] If your people are scared about the unknown, the key to breaking out of this is by taking small steps.
[41:45] Geoff shares a client success story and how they used Provoke principles to break out of uncertainty.
[46:20] Listener challenge: What made you successful so far is not going to continue to make you successful.
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Quotable Quotes
“Sarcasm is not a way to win friends and influence people.” Share on X “Ask a question to provoke a thought process in a way that elicits a response about the unknown.” Share on X We need a much wider field of vision to reduce cognitive biases. Share on XResources Mentioned
- Sponsored by: Darley.com
- Connect with Geoff: Deloitte.com and Geoff on LinkedIn
- Safi Bahcall on The Leadership Podcast
- Harrisiii.com & Harris III on The Leadership Podcast
- Pacesetting with Yvonne Scott on The Leadership Podcast
These are the books mentioned in our discussion with Geoff
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