Risky Business ─ Unlocking Unconscious Biases in Decisions

Making decisions can be tough, but how do you know it’s the right one and how can you be sure that unconscious biases aren’t distorting your thinking? In Risky Business, Anna Withers and Mark Withers draw on decades of research in the fields of psychology, behavioural economics and neuroscience to explain why are so-called rational brains are frequently fooled by over 100 powerful unconscious biases. At the same time they provide a straightforward framework everyone can use, where these biases are embodied into eight memorable characters that help us to avoid these pitfalls and make better decisions. All of us, even experts, are influenced by these unconscious biases. We all get attached to relationships or ideas; we are prone to over-confidence or to serving up what others want to hear. We are all prone to use shortcuts to get us to the decision we want and are all influenced by our past experience and the knowledge we have accumulated. Using a wealth of stories and anecdotes they introduce the reader to eight fascinating characters that help us to understand the workings of our unconscious mind. This book is an essential guide to anyone wanting to make better decisions. The reader will: ? Gain insights into how unconscious biases distort our decisions ? Be introduced to eight memorable characters that embody these biases ? Be able to use these characters to think about the decisions they make and to notice these characters at work in the decisions of others ? Understand how our habits allow these unconscious biases a foothold into key decisions and how to break this habit loop ? Be given tools to mitigate these unconscious biases, helping them to make more robust decisions at work and in life ? Be entertained through stories and anecdotes that bring this thinking to life.

Anna’s early career was spent in investment banking where she worked for 13 years in a range of senior roles in the areas of investment analysis and client relationship management. Her previous employers included Bank Austria, Daiwa, UBS and Nikko Securities. In 1998 she co- founded Mightywaters Consulting and retrained as a psychologist, coach and relationship therapist. Anna has researched the field of decision-making over many years, combining the insights she has gained from working with individuals under stress together with her first hand experience of decision making in the highly pressurised world of international finance and investment banking. Anna is a qualified relationship therapist and psychodynamic counsellor and a member of the Institute of Operational Risk. Mark has worked at the sharp end of the field of organisational development and human relations for nearly 35 years. As Managing Director of Mightywaters Consulting he has consulted with business leaders in a wider range of organisations and across different sectors. A constant theme in his work ? whether supporting organisations through transformational change, developing stronger teams or in shaping fit for purpose people practices - has been why do we make the decisions we do and how can we make better decisions? Mark’s early career was spent in Royal Dutch Shell and a Whitbread/Allied Domecq joint venture before moving into consultancy with PwC.