Sep 22, 2021
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.
Quotable Quotes
- “Sarcasm is not a way to win friends and
influence people.”
- “Ask a question to provoke a thought process in
a way that elicits a response about the unknown.”
- We need a much wider field of vision to reduce
cognitive biases.
Resources Mentioned