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.

You probably don’t know it but you already think in mental models.

A mental model is a compression of how something works. Mental models help us understand the world. For example, velocity is a mental model that teaches both speed and direction matter. Reciprocity is a mental model that shows why going positive and going first puts the world on your side. Relativity is a mental model that shows us we have blind spots and how a different perspective can reveal new information. The list goes on.

The models in your head shape how you think, approach problems, and identify the information that matters and ignore what doesn’t.