Every day we have problems to solve and decisions to make. Too often, the steps we take to address them result in more complexity, rather than less. That is where simple rules come in.

Donald Sull, bestselling author of Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World offers a six-step framework for better decision-making that has been tested with individuals and with organizations. An expert in global strategy, Don is a senior lecturer at MIT and a former professor at Harvard University and the London Business School. Using vivid examples and powerful stories, Don helps us see the creative impact of developing and applying simple rules.

In this episode, we talk about:

ways simple rules support strategy and encourage innovation
the ways simple rules beat out one-size-fits-all rules
the six-part framework to make simple rules of your own
why we need to involve the users of the rules in the creation process
how feedback only makes rules better over time
how simple rules can support personal and organizational agency and ownership

Selected Links to Topics Mentioned

@simple_rules

donsull.com

Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World by Donald Sull and Kathleen Eisenhardt

Oakland As

Billy Beane

The Gates Foundation

Why the French Do Not Get Fat

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink

Collin Payne

Pierre Chandon

Murmuration

Craig Reynolds

Orcs

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Zipcar and Robin Chase

Votorantim

Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

Young Presidents Organization

Elmore Leonard

Tina Fey and 30 Rock

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