E181 - Prepare for the Worst: Embracing a Pre-Mortem for Every Decision | with Matthew Confer - Jeff Mendelson | Automation Superhero

E181 – Prepare for the Worst: Embracing a Pre-Mortem for Every Decision | with Matthew Confer

As the Vice President of Strategy at Abilitie, a leadership development company, Matthew Confer helps businesses across the globe improve their decision-making skills through immersive simulations – he’s even spoken about the topic at the TEDx conference with his talk titled “Before You Decide.” Matthew is also the host of the Learn to Lead podcast, but today he’s guesting on the One Big Tip podcast to teach listeners one important decision-making step they may not have considered: the post-mortem. 


Looking at every decision you make like it’s doomed to fail may sound like embracing a negative mindset, but Matthew says adding this step (a “post-mortem”) to your business’s decision-making process is actually one major way to ensure greater success!

A post-mortem is all about being prepared: it allows you to dissect every decision with a critical eye – even the ones you’re sure will be successful – in order to understand the ways in which they could get derailed. That way, you’ll be better equipped, more vigilant, and able to make smarter decisions than ever. Matthew breaks it all down in this episode! 

In this episode:

  • [1:32] Matthew’s path to his leadership management career was a winding one. He gives us a look at how he got to where he is today. 
  • [3:14] Matthew says that when it comes to leadership development, Fortune 500 companies are looking for people who have had real world practice – that’s why simulation training like the kind Abilitie offers can be so helpful. 
  • [6:00] Simulation is about more than just roleplay! Matthew defines the differences between the two. 
  • [8:18] Matthew’s one big tip is to create a pre-mortem for decision-making. He explains what that means here – it’s all about dissecting what could go wrong with each decision you make.
  • [11:43] We discuss how businesses have adapted and learned to make better decisions throughout the course of the pandemic.

Watch the Interview:

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