In this episode, Vishal unpacks why simple rules are a leader’s best weapon in complex systems. Backed by research, this episode shows how three to five crisp heuristics can outperform thick manuals and guide decisions without bottlenecks. From wildfire management’s legendary LCES rule set to corporate playbooks that focus on boundaries, priorities, and timing, you’ll learn how to design rules that travel fast, scale under stress, and stick in people’s heads when leaders aren’t in the room.

References:

1) Simple Rules for a Complex World. Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2012/09/simple-rules-for-a-complex-world

2) The best rules are simple, flexible and purposeful: https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2015/04/rules-simple-eisenhardt-042915

3) LCES — Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, Safety Zones: https://fs-prod-nwcg.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-06/lces-gleason.pdf

4) Fast and frugal forecasting: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijforecast.2009.05.010

5) Ecological Rationality: Fast-and-Frugal Heuristics for Managerial Decision Making under Uncertainty: https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2018.0172

Music Credit: Switch It Up, performed by Silent Partner, from the YouTube Studio Audio Library