Dan Heath | The Art of Upstream Thinking and Problem Solving

It’s no surprise that many of us can be overwhelmed with the day-to-day events of our lives, so how are we supposed to plan for so many unforeseen events like the COVID-19 pandemic, what is upstream thinking and why is it relevant today more than ever?

What to Listen For

• What is the difference between upstream and downstream thinking and why can one lead you to a life of cyclical misery?
• What is unique about the American healthcare system that has led to us only focusing downstream?
• What is quiet competence and why does it make us less attentive to potential catastrophes?
• How can we get people to think more upstream so we are not impacted so negatively by crises?
• What is psychological standing and how does it prevent you from doing the right thing in a wide range of situations we find ourselves in regularly?
• What are the 7 questions leaders need to ask themselves if they don’t want to fail miserably at handling the next upstream problem?
• What can you do to unite the right people to handle a complicated problem like the COVID-19 pandemic?

Being able to think clearly about the future and contemplate solutions to problems likely to arise is becoming more and more important as society and technology continue evolving faster than we can keep up. This is why upstream thinking is so important - many of us are caught up in the rush of everyday life and we count on our leaders to know what to do when problems arise, but it seems our leaders are also forgetting to think far enough ahead, leading us to find ourselves in the predicam we’re in now with COVID-19.

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Resources from this Episode

Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath

Dan Heath’s website

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