POPULARITY
Thank you to Chris who joins us for a second time on Rebranding Safety. Chris is an award-winning author and co-founder of Clearfield Group, guiding leaders through change and complexity. We catch up on the last 2 years and the landscape of complexity since his book 'Meltdown', co-authored by Andras Tilcsik, was released in 2018. We discuss leadership and 'the power of not knowing', implementing a culture and how it changes over time, being open and real about the levels of engagement and participation you're willing or able to take on, and the power of story telling. Enjoy, my fellow risk nerds..... (as coined by Chris!)
"Endlessly fascinating, brimming with insight, and more fun than a book about failure has any right to be, Meltdown will transform how you think about the systems that govern our lives. This is a wonderful book."--Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better A crash on the Washington, D.C. metro system. An accidental overdose in a state-of-the-art hospital. An overcooked holiday meal. At first glance, these disasters seem to have little in common. But surprising new research shows that all these events--and the myriad failures that dominate headlines every day--share similar causes. By understanding what lies behind these failures, we can design better systems, make our teams more productive, and transform how we make decisions at work and at home. Weaving together cutting-edge social science with riveting stories that take us from the frontlines of the Volkswagen scandal to backstage at the Oscars, and from deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico to the top of Mount Everest, Chris Clearfield and Andras Tilcsik explain how the increasing complexity of our systems creates conditions ripe for failure and why our brains and teams can't keep up. They highlight the paradox of progress: Though modern systems have given us new capabilities, they've become vulnerable to surprising meltdowns--and even to corruption and misconduct. But Meltdown isn't just about failure; it's about solutions--whether you're managing a team or the chaos of your family's morning routine. It reveals why ugly designs make us safer, how a five-minute exercise can prevent billion-dollar catastrophes, why teams with fewer experts are better at managing risk, and why diversity is one of our best safeguards against failure. The result is an eye-opening, empowering, and entirely original book--one that will change the way you see our complex world and your own place in it. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pbliving/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pbliving/support
With technological advances and information updates, our social systems have become increasingly complex. When facing a complex situation, we can hardly give an accurate prediction about what’s going to happen, and it’s also extremely difficult to make the right judgments. But we must do so because a seemingly trivial mistake might eventually snowball into a catastrophe. Fortunately, we still have the chance to stop this from happening. This book, Meltdown, gives a detailed account of why our systems fail and how we can catch up with technology and prevent meltdowns.
Mike Sedam talks with Chris Clearfield about the book he co-authored with Andras Tilcsik, Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About it. https://amzn.to/2mG2cBT The conversation not only discusses why complex systems fail, but what we can learn from them and how we can apply that learning to systems like social media. This is a fascinating conversation with takeaways for everyone from safety professionals to CEOs. Visit https://www.rethinkrisk.net/ for more about the book and to contact Chris or Andras. Visit www.crucialtalks.com to contact Mike Sedam.
Whenever a financial or technological disaster takes place, people wonder if it could have possibly been averted. My guests today say that the answer is often yes, and that the lessons around why big disasters happen can teach us something about preventing catastrophes in our businesses and personal lives. Their names are Chris Clearfield and Andras Tilcsik, and they're the authors of Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It. We begin our discussion getting into how they got interested in exploring how everything from plane crashes to nuclear meltdowns to flash stock market crashes actually share common causes. We then discuss the difference between complicated and complex systems, why complex systems have weaknesses that make them vulnerable to failure, and how such complexity is on the rise in our modern, technological era. Along the way, Chris and Andras provide examples of complex systems that have crashed and burned, from the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor meltdown to a Starbucks social media campaign gone awry. We end our conversation digging into specific tactics engineers and organizations use to create stronger, more catastrophe-proof systems, and how regular folks can use these insights to help make their own lives run a bit more smoothly. Get the show notes at aom.is/meltdown.
It all began when derivatives trader and commercially licensed airline pilot, Chris Clearfield, started seeing parallels between the financial crisis and aviation accidents all throughout his career. In 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon Rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, the idea for his book, Meltdown, was sparked. Since then Chris has been researching and comparing major catastrophes around the world. Meltdown offers a groundbreaking take on how complexity causes failure in all kinds of modern systems — from social media to air travel—this practical and entertaining book reveals how we can prevent meltdowns in business and life. Chris Clearfield is the Co-Author (with Andras Tilcsik) of Meltdown: What Plane Crashes, Oil Spills, and Dumb Business Decisions Can Teach us About How To Succeed at Work and Home. This book is all about why our systems fail and what we can do about it. It’s definitely a business book however, you can absolutely apply the principles to family, fitness, training and life. Chris was in town a few months ago, visiting from Seattle. We went for a run then recorded the podcast with today’s special co-host, Lori Mazor. You may know Lori from way back when, episode one. She is my partner in life and racing. Lori connected everyone for the podcast and is a huge fan of the book and has direct experience using some of the principles within. In the book, Chris and Andras weave together cutting edge social science with riveting stories that take us from the front lines of the Volkswagon scandal to backstage at the Oscars, and from deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico to the top of Mount Everest. They explain how the increasing complexities of our systems create conditions ripe for failure and why our brains can’t keep up. Chris and Andras highlight the paradox of progress: while modern systems have given us new capabilities, they’ve become vulnerable to surprising meltdowns—and even corruption and misconduct. Chris shares many of these stories and examples on today’s episode but we also explore his philosophy thru the lens of triathlon and family. Meltdown by Chris Clearfield and András Tilcsik is now available in paperback and of course, as an audiobook, which I downloaded and listened to on Audible As always, thanks for tuning in and all your great feedback on the podcast. I appreciate your DM’s and questions on social, and keep those emails coming! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It’s easy, scroll though the list of Marni on the Move podcasts on your app, click on Write a review. Share what you like about the podcast, your favorite episodes, what inspires you. Tell your friends to listen, email them a link, post it on your social platforms and tag Marni on the Move, and spread the love! Also, sign up for our newsletter The Download, to find out about upcoming events and summits this summer, great deals, offers, and giveaways!
Unconscious racial bias can influence what we see, what we do, and what we remember. These are topics that Jennifer Eberhardt, author of the book, Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, has been studying for over twenty years. In one of her studies, participants were shown either black or white human faces and then asked to identify a crime-related versus a neutral object. She found that, “black faces facilitated the detection of the crime object, whereas the white faces inhibited their detection of those very same crime objects.” Jennifer’s research led her to work with police departments, prison inmates, and companies. In each case, she couples awareness instruction with actions people can take. For example, she helped one company address online bias in reporting suspicious people in their neighborhood by shifting their response from “if you see something, say something” to “if you see something suspicious, say something specific.” Jennifer is a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “genius grant.” She has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was named one of Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers. She is co-founder and co-director of SPARQ, a Stanford "do tank" that brings together researchers and practitioners to address significant social problems. The Host You can learn more about Curious Minds Host and Creator, Gayle Allen @CuriousGayle and www.gayleallen.net. Episode Links Blindspot by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald Language from Police Body Language Footage Shows Racial Disparities in Officer Respect Scientific racism Jennifer’s 2014 MacArthur Fellow video The Racist Trope that Won’t Die by Brent Staples When Resumes are Made ‘Whiter’ to Please Potential Employers by Bourree Lam Whitened Resumes: Race and Self-Presentation in the Labor Market by Sonia K. Kang, Katherine A. DeCelles, Andras Tilcsik, and Sora Jun Simple Ways to Support the Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, there are three simple ways you can support our work. First, subscribe so you’ll never miss an episode. Second, tell a friend or family member. You’ll always have someone to talk to about the interview. Third, rate and review the podcast wherever you subscribe. You’ll be helping listeners find their next podcast. A Short List of Places Where You Can Find Curious Minds Spotify iTunes Tunein Stitcher Google Play Overcast
Disastrous events take place all the time, but could many be prevented? For example, could discount retailer, Target, have spared thousands of people their jobs rather than close 58 of its Canadian stores? Could the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe have been avoided? Chris Clearfield, co-author with Andras Tilcsik of the book, Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It, sees a paradox at work in these events, that is, increasingly complex systems resulting in greater vulnerability. As he walks us through similar meltdowns that have taken place across organizations like, Enron and Three Mile Island, as well as events like the Oscars, he shares steps we can take to anticipate, and even avoid, these disasters. A former derivatives trader, Chris worked in New York, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. He’s written about catastrophic failure, technology, and finance for The Guardian, Forbes, and the Harvard Kennedy School Review. In this interview Chris answers questions like: Why do meltdowns increase as systems grow more complicated? What advantages do diverse groups have when it comes to avoiding failures? What are the two biggest factors that contribute to most large-scale disasters? How does “tight coupling” contribute to meltdowns? What led to Starbuck’s infamous social media meltdown? How did snafus in UK post offices result in post masters spending time in jail? How has the Internet of things (IoT) increased the chance of meltdowns? In what ways have companies like Enron used complexity to their advantage? Why did Airbus 330 pilots trade sleek design for the more workmanlike Boeing 737? How can premortems help us anticipate and avoid failures in our work? What does the Flint water disaster have to teach us about our cognitive biases? Why is it so important for us to pay attention to small problems as they arise? Which is more important for preventing meltdowns, people who speak up or leaders who listen? How can families take advantage of agile work practices to up their game? What do flight crews have to teach us about workplace communication? Links to Topics Mentioned in the Podcast @ChrisClearfield Charles Perrow Three Mile Island accident Whiplash by Joi Ito and interview link on Curious Minds SPIES decision-making method Superforcasting by Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner Performing a Project Premortem by Gary Klein Daniel Kahneman Flint Water Crisis Marlys Christianson Agile Practices for Families If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and review it on iTunes - your ratings help others find their next podcast. For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to subscribe. And thank you for listening and sharing! Thank you, as well, to our producer and editor, Rob Mancabelli, and to our logo designer, Vanida Vae. www.gayleallen.net LinkedIn @GAllenTC
Steve talks with Chris Clearfield about Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It, which he wrote with Andras Tilcsik. The book reveals why ugly designs make us safer, why teams with fewer experts are better at managing risk, and why diversity is one of our best safeguards against failure. The result is an eye-opening, empowering, and entirely original work. Chris Clearfield is a former derivatives trader who worked in New York, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. He is a licensed commercial pilot and a graduate of Harvard University, where he studied physics and biology. Chris has written about complexity and failure for The Guardian, Forbes, and the Harvard Kennedy School Review. He lives in Seattle. Conor talks with Steve Toutonghi about his new book Side Life. Set in Seattle, Steve Toutonghi's second novel is a dazzling, intriguing, and philosophical blend of literary science fiction. A native of Seattle, Steve Toutonghi studied fiction and poetry while completing a BA in Anthropology at Stanford. After various professional forays, he began a career in technology that led him from Silicon Valley back to Seattle. He is the author of a previous novel, Join.