Think Like a Doctor to Make Executive Decisions

Course details

If you pay really close attention, you can learn a lot about decision-making from doctors. It may seem like they all just have a knack for it, but they had to practice those skills for years. Having the know-how to make critical decisions in times of crisis is no exception. Doctors are trained to navigate complex decisions with a process called differential diagnosis. It’s a way to understand and guide their decision-making practices—and you can use it in the business world, too.

In this course, join the Chief Medical Officer of WebMD John Whyte as he teaches you how to operationalize the principles of differential diagnosis to think through business decisions just like a doctor. Explore strategies for framing a problem, leveraging data, asking for help, assessing all possible options, and making a final decision. Along the way, John prepares you with the skills you need to know to start making better decisions for your entire team.

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Why thinking like a doctor can improve decision-making
02 - Origin of how doctors think

1. Framing the Problem

03 - One problem at a time
04 - Symptoms vs. cause
05 - Developing the strategy up front

2. Leveraging Data

06 - How much data do you really need
07 - Collecting and analyzing
08 - The issue of time and resources
09 - Dealing with uncertainty

3. The Process

10 - When to move on
11 - When to call in support
12 - Best way to ask for advice

4. Assessment and Plan

13 - Finalizing the decision
14 - Communicating the decision
15 - Reassessing when wrong

Conclusion

16 - Differential diagnosis differentiates you as a decision maker