The Art of Solving Complex Problems Quickly

Philip Mudd

with Philip Mudd

Ex-Deputy Director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center

The Art of Solving Complex Problems Quickly

The Art of Solving Complex Problems Quickly 934 1200 33Voices

Moe and Philip Mudd talk about how to become a high efficiency analytic decision maker

The Real Art Behind Managing Your Emotions

Other than sports, I don’t watch much on television. However, I was amongst those who got hooked on the Showtime series, Homeland — at least for the first three seasons.  The characters and acting was superb, the suspense was typical Hollywood drama, and the story appeared to paint an accurate portrait of the U.S. Intelligence agencies — or did it?  Of course, there’s no mistaking drama for the real thing, still what you’re about to hear from former FBI and CIA executive, Philip Mudd will give you immense appreciation for the collective brainpower of the leaders of such organizations.

Phil is a real pro at peeling back the onion to better understand the problems and situations for which he’s analyzing.  Since leaving the CIA, he has released two book, with the latest being, The HEAD Game: High Efficiency Analytic Decision Making and the Art of Solving Complex Problems Quickly.  Leveraging on his experience, he shares superb insights about honing your thinking and decision making process, but for me, it was his approach to managing emotions that was particularly intriguing.

Here’s a glimpse of what we discuss:

  • Shaping your worldview
  • Why every negotiation or decision is as good as the goal that defines it
  • Regulating your emotions under supreme pressure
  • Why you shouldn’t start with data or information to analyze a problem
  • The process of formulating questions that matter
  • What is intelligence
  • The role of intuition in decision making