Send us a text

In this episode of The Business Bookmark podcast, hosts Howard Montagu and Harjit Chana dissect The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli, uncovering the hidden cognitive biases that quietly shape our decisions.

They dive into nine crucial biases that can cloud judgment, including the Illusion of Control, Clustering Illusion, Authority Bias, Action Bias, Winner’s Curse, Ostrich Effect, Sunk Cost Fallacy, Social Proofing, and Survivorship Bias. The discussion highlights how these biases influence leadership, business strategy, and everyday decision-making.

The hosts also explore the power of via negativa—the idea that avoiding mistakes is just as crucial as making the right moves. Through real-world examples and personal experiences, they offer practical strategies to recognize and mitigate these biases, helping you make clearer, smarter business decisions.

Tune in to sharpen your thinking and gain an edge in leadership and business!

00:00 Introduction to Better Decision Making
00:58 Exploring 'The Art of Thinking Clearly'
03:49 Understanding the Illusion of Control
07:03 The Clustering Illusion in Decision Making
10:28 Authority Bias: Trusting the Experts
12:53 Action Bias: The Urge to Act Quickly
15:50 The Winner's Curse: Overpaying in Competitive Situations
20:28 The Pitfalls of Choosing the Cheapest Option
21:29 The Ostrich Effect: Ignoring Bad News
24:44 The Sunk Cost Fallacy: When to Cut Your Losses
29:09 Social Proofing: Following the Herd
32:46 Survivorship Bias: Learning from Failures
35:25 Via Negativa: The Power of Avoiding Mistakes
38:14 Conclusion and Final Thoughts