You will learn five core concepts of how to make better decisions and avoid making bad ones.

System one thinking is automatic, unconscious, lightening fast and generates strong feelings of certainty. System one decisions are difficult to put into words other than ‘it feels right’.

System two thinking is rational, conscious, requires effort, works slowly, examines, calculates and considers evidence. System two decisions are relatively easy to put into words.

Intuitive decision making uses system one thinking and we tend to use it as our default setting. In fact recent research suggests that over 95% of the decisions we make are made this way. Intuitive decision making when used appropriately can deal with highly complex decision problems, quickly and accurately.

Rational decision making uses system two thinking and considers all the evidence, evaluates the options and then selects the optimal course of action. We tend to use rational decision making far less frequently than we believe, often confusing it with post decision rationalisation. A crucial way to improve decision outcomes is to use rational decision making more frequently.

Expert decision making uses a combination of system 1 & 2 thinking. It is crucial when making high risk decisions quickly (i.e. a human resources professional dealing with a major disciplinary incident with the potential to escalate into industrial action).