Kristinia Vu

To learn how to make decisions, I found some mentors around my organization. I watched them, asked them annoying questions, and tried to learn as much as possible from them. I did an MBA. I read everything I could about making decisions. And thanks to the internet, I was no longer limited to the best teachers in my organization or university. The entire world was available. I could find the best teachers in the world, learn their tools and frameworks, and add them to my mental toolbox.

You’d be amazed at who replies when you tell them you work for an intelligence agency and you think they might be able to help you save lives.

Few things will change your trajectory in life or business as much as learning to make high-quality decisions. Yet, no one teaches us how to make consistently effective decisions.

I remember standing in a windowless room at a three-letter intelligence agency. Information was flowing across the screens. Some information said zig, and some said zag. What to do wasn’t clear, and the wrong choice would end up on the front page of most newspapers and put troops in peril.

We recommend the following two proven techniques for improving your learning.

The Feynman Technique

There are two main places we can learn from: our own experience and history, or the experience of others. Exploring the distinction between the two can show us the best ways to learn from each of them.

Learning from history

You can train your brain to retain knowledge and insight better by understanding how you learn. Once you understand the keys to learning, everything changes—from the way you ask questions to the way you consume information. People will think you have a superpower.

Learning is the act of incorporating new facts, concepts, and abilities into our brains. We start learning in the womb and we never stop; we are always developing new competencies. Every new bit of knowledge we acquire builds on what we already know and gives us a fuller, richer picture of the world. And the more developed our understanding of the world is, the easier it is for us to adapt and pivot when our circumstances change.