The Seven Deadly Stupidities: Using Other People’s Failures to Make Better Decisions

“It’s good to learn from your mistakes. It’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes.” ~Warren Buffet

Crisis manager George Pillari takes the reader through a series of real-life case studies to show us that decision making in tense situations is a skill to be learned and perfected. Different from most business books that talk about recipes for success (improve your habits, be more productive, etc.), Stupidities highlights what you need to avoid in order to be successful.

In his foreword to the book, Guy Kawasaki sums it up:

“80% of success is avoiding stupidity.”

We learn from the success and failures of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Holmes, Google X, JP Morgan, the New York Yankees, the Titan Sub, Thomas Edison, Taylor Swift, and others.

The Seven Deadly Stupidities:

Going for the Moonshot

Surrendering to FOMO

Relying on Family and Friends

Being Blinded by the Upside

Trusting the Media

Using Quick and Dirty Thinking

Neglecting to Measure Twice

There is the amazing story of Soviet General Petrov, who avoided all seven of the stupidities and prevented a global thermonuclear war.

The chapter-by-chapter format lets the reader thumb through and pick the order to read the book. The summary of each stupidity includes lessons learned and advice on how to avoid the stupidity and “be smarter.”

We are twice as likely to respond to negative events than positive ones. Pillari uses this behavioral sciences insight to guide the reader through how to learn from the failures of others and become a better decision-maker.