#ElephantInTheRoom Archives | The Mind Collection

The Tenth Man Rule: How to Take Devil’s Advocacy to a New Level

A reflection on the Tenth Man Rule, a form of institutionalised devil’s advocacy. How can we benefit from a professional pain in the neck?

A reflection on the Dead Horse Theory, a classic management enigma that can only be solved with more ancient horse wisdom.

A reflection on the Ship of Theseus, a thought experiment that raises an intriguing question about our identity and its evolution over time.

A deep dive into the Feynman Technique, a method designed to learn through teaching. How can we upgrade it with a few teaching principles?

An exploration of The Mind Collection Model, my personal interpretation of a mental model designed to help us navigate the known unknowns.

A reflection on paradoxical examples of odd reasoning. What can we learn from the Crocodile Paradox and is Schrödinger’s Cat dead or alive?

A reflection on the narrative technique known as Stream of Consciousness. How can the concept help us to make use of our messy thoughts?

A reflection on the Peter Principle, a semi-satirical explanation for incompetence in the workplace. There’s only one way to overcome it.

Tackle the steelmanning challenge, a three-step method to win arguments by helping your opponent. Its only downside: Nobody will ever take it.

A reflection on Joseph S. Nye’s concepts of hard and soft power in world politics. How can we use them to gauge our own influence?

Join me in revisiting Paul Graham’s Hierarchy of Disagreement. Can it help us survive Twitter? And is name-calling ever okay?

An exploration of how to say ‘No’ without feeling guilty. Would I be wrong to assume this is a superpower you’d love to have?

A reflection on five potentially toxic leadership behaviours that may be signs of a toxic workplace. How much slack should you cut your boss?

A reflection on the counterproductive habit to steal other people’s problems. How can we be helpful without becoming kleptomaniacs?

A reflection on Yak Shaving, the process of doing a seemingly useless task that is nonetheless still connected to achieving your big goal.