Art of the Con

Speaker

Jim Austin

Faculty Consultant

The Wharton School

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Leadership & Workforce Development

Brown University

Jim Austin’s Biography

CIMA®, CPWA®, CIMC®, and RMA℠ Pending

Duration: 1 Hour

Option 1: Monday, March 8th at 12:00pm ET

Option 2: Tuesday, March 9th at 9:00am ET

This session will be interactive with discussion and Q&A.

Course Description

Why do we fall prey to the “art of the con”? Why do some individuals gain support for their ideas in meetings, while others seemingly languish? At the core of any organization's performance are the decisions that leaders make…those financial, strategic, human resource, marketing and leadership decisions that in the end determine an organization's performance. Thus, understanding how to improve decision-making is a truly fundamental leadership requirement. In this session, we will discuss the decision “traps” most commonly observed. These biases are unfortunately widespread because they are in large part determined by how the human brain operates. Drawing on recent research, this session will expose participants to decision biases through short exercises and offer ways to alleviate them. Issues to be covered: outlining the components of great “cons”; establishing “the problem” to be solved; making a decision; and building trust.

Learning Objectives:
  • Understand how we are all susceptible to “irrational” decisions in certain situations
  • Ways to spot such biases within one’s own organization or team
  • Frameworks to counteract decision biases