Atlas of Creep and Stress-Rupture Curves

Contents......Page 5
My story......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 20
Introduction......Page 23
Early years......Page 33
Changing course......Page 42
Summing up the interview highlights......Page 50
02 Nightmares: Striking a balance between being tolerant of mistakes, and understanding the danger signs that tell you a decision can go badly wrong......Page 52
It isn’t wrong to be wrong......Page 58
What’s the ROD (Return on Decision)?......Page 59
But don’t be wrong too often......Page 60
Sometimes people make really bad decisions......Page 62
How do we explain seriously bad decisions?......Page 63
Why do things that aren’t a good idea?......Page 65
Why do the mighty fall so often?......Page 67
Have you ever wondered why so many decisions fail?......Page 69
Language matters......Page 71
Stanovich’s theory......Page 73
Decision Traps......Page 75
Condemned to repeat the experience......Page 76
Try to avoid the biggest decision trap of all: downside delusion......Page 77
Loss aversion......Page 79
Being too busy......Page 80
Keep watching out for the early decision......Page 81
Here’s another way of looking at an early decision......Page 83
Was the financial crisis caused by Decision Traps?......Page 84
What makes a decision bad? (a checklist you can add to)......Page 87
... or more fundamentally to not being in the right condition to make a good decision?......Page 88
More questions to be asked after a failed decision......Page 89
03 Opportunities and problems......Page 90
Before embarking on a big decision you have to define the opportunity or solve the problem......Page 91
Capitalizing on opportunities......Page 93
Turning a big problem into an opportunity......Page 99
Wasting opportunities......Page 100
The Holy Grail – better decisions......Page 114
A smart way to make decisions better......Page 116
The Agency Assessments method − rigour, but also room for chemistry \nand gut feel......Page 119
Another reason we need to accommodate gut feel......Page 121
The emotional side of decision making......Page 122
How do we rationalize gut feel?......Page 124
Lessons from modern neurology......Page 126
The learning from neurology......Page 128
Decision making is best played as a team game......Page 129
The journey – not the single step: mapping a decision process, and managing it over the life of a project......Page 131
‘Morethanism’......Page 132
Identify the limiters, and you will make decisions better......Page 134
Luck......Page 135
Go back if you have to......Page 136
‘The situation has moved on’......Page 137
Difficult decisions......Page 139
Decisions and journeys......Page 143
‘All the emotional intelligence of a lamp post’......Page 144
‘Send three and fourpence, \nwe’re going to a dance’......Page 145
Highlights on decision making from the interviews......Page 146
05 It’s a matter of time: the magic number 60......Page 154
Time is relative......Page 155
60 minutes......Page 156
60 hours or more......Page 157
David Jones of Havas on fast decisions......Page 160
Simon Calver of Lovefilm told me about fast decisions and how important they can be......Page 161
Daniel Topolski, the rowing coach, \ntold me why he is suspicious of \nfast decisions......Page 162
A moment of indecision......Page 163
Are there decisions we are happy to talk about – and others we would rather forget?......Page 165
Surely technology has made it easier to make great decisions?......Page 166
Blackout......Page 168
Maybe there is learning from marketing......Page 170
Why are meetings so frustrating?......Page 172
What can go wrong with meetings......Page 174
60 minutes to an hour is enough time to bring a meeting to a decisive conclusion; but there need to be special rules......Page 176
Meetings – 10 suggested hygiene factors......Page 177
Listen if you want to be heard......Page 178
David Jones of Havas was the creator of an ambitious 60-week (plus) project, One Young World......Page 179
Barbara Cassani was responsible for another 60-week project: the launch \nof a new airline – Go......Page 180
I asked General Sir Mike Jackson a question about his judgement of time: did he think the second Iraq War would be a long-drawn-out affair?......Page 182
De Bono – the Maltese Eagle......Page 183
How I have always profiled client and advertising agency people......Page 185
Sample one – initial view on the team and its leader Shaun......Page 189
Account planners understand what makes people tick......Page 191
Blamers and Pacifiers......Page 193
Meredith Belbin – the hero of team theory......Page 194
Thinking time......Page 196
High confidence, low self-esteem......Page 197
Why do female tennis players grunt?......Page 202
Bright Eyes......Page 203
Happiness is what we want, what we really want......Page 204
Is experience the be all and end all?......Page 205
A big insight into the way business leaders behave: causals and effectuals......Page 206
Steve Jobs – the most effectual thinker of our era......Page 208
Calver, Cassani and Vasiliev on enterpreneurs and managers:......Page 209
07 Choice is three-dimensional decision making......Page 213
Daniel Topolski on selecting oarsmen......Page 214
Choosing agencies......Page 216
Three dimensions of choice......Page 217
Consumer choice is a highly sophisticated business nowadays......Page 220
Behavioural Economics isn’t \na one-way street......Page 221
Neuromarketing......Page 224
Charles Spence interview......Page 226
Two moments of truth......Page 236
Costco: Behavioural Economics \nin the raw......Page 237
War......Page 239
All Hell Let Loose by Sir Max Hastings (2011)......Page 243
The fog of war......Page 245
Decision making – it’s a contact sport......Page 246
Britons and Americans – Part 1: \nthe Gulf, 1988......Page 248
Britons and Americans (and Russians) − Part 2: Kosovo, 1999......Page 249
Britons and Americans (and Serbs) − Part 3: offshore Montenegro, 1999......Page 250
Jackson on decision making......Page 251
Snelson on gut feeling and training......Page 252
I asked General Sir Mike Jackson about intelligence and hierarchy......Page 253
Should we use wartime decision making in dealing with terrorism?......Page 254
09 Sport and other games: Serious lessons from evenings and weekends......Page 255
Let’s start with a game – an ancient game......Page 256
Sport matters......Page 259
Decision making by sportsmen and women......Page 260
Daniel Topolski on how bad decisions can drag down even proven winners......Page 261
Colin, Lord Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA)......Page 263
The Inner Game of Tennis, \nTimothy Gallwey (1974)......Page 264
Quieten the negative thought in your head......Page 265
Randy Haynes is a leading expert on sports betting......Page 282
Vitaly Vasiliev, CEO of Gazprom  – a true love story......Page 283
Karl Gregory – MD of Match.com......Page 284
Are there any rules for decision \nmaking in love?......Page 287
What match.com’s Lovegeist report tells us......Page 292
11 My 20 best decision tips......Page 296
References......Page 301
Index......Page 303