Stress-test ideas with a ‘red team’ who provide opposition to your point of view and improve your decision-making ability.
from Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
Marc Andreessen, a legendary figure in Silicon and cofounder of Netscape, always creates a ‘red team’ to test ideas. He has found that by providing strong and persistent opposition to the prevailing point of view, a ‘red team’ improves decisions made by individuals and organizations. Providing you are open to changing your point of view in the face of better information or logic, a ‘red team’ helps you see beyond conventional wisdom, overcome cultural bias, and broadens problem-solving within your organization.
How to Apply This
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Every time you are strongly considering embarking on something new, create a ‘red team.’
This ‘red team’ is a group that will provide relentless opposition to your point of view. -
Get the ‘red team’ to provide alternate views to every facet of the proposal.
Leave no stone unturned, even if everyone thinks the ‘stone’ in question is a good idea. -
Be open to changing your point of view.
Concede to better information or better logic.
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