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Ask a Decision EngineerAuthor: Michelle Florendo
Even the smartest people can get tied into knots when making big decisions. Get the tools to move through decisions with less stress and more clarity. Join Stanford Decision Engineer and Coach Michelle Florendo for a comprehensive and systematic way of untangling every decision - no matter how big or small. New to the podcast? - Dip into Season 1 for why this podcast exists and the first few pilot season episodes - Binge Season 2 for tips on how to untangle an upcoming big decision - Check out Season 3 for how to navigate emotions in the decision process - Season 4 brings you insights from experts in the field who have influenced my work - Season 5 is airing Fall 2025. For more about Michelle's work, visit https://www.poweredbydecisions.com Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Education Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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S6E06 | What is the Society of Decision Professionals (SDP)?
Episode 6
Wednesday, 9 July, 2025
"At the heart of a company is the quality of its decisions. And it's rare that leadership programs teach you how to be a better decision maker." — SDP Conference AttendeeWhether you're a CEO making strategic decisions, a data scientist analyzing choices, or someone navigating personal decisions, the field of decision-making offers structured approaches that can be scaled up or down for any situation.S5E5 | What is SDP?This episode takes listeners inside the world of professional decision-making through Michelle's firsthand exploration of the Society of Decision Professionals conference. Through interviews with members, Michelle uncovers how this diverse community approaches decision quality and why structured decision-making frameworks matter across all contexts.Table of ContentsIntroduction What is SDP? Types of Programming and Engagement The Diverse SDP Community Decision Quality in PracticeCross-Industry Learning The Future of Decision ProfessionalsWho Should Join SDP ConclusionIntroduction Michelle introduces this special episode recorded at the Society of Decision Professionals annual conference, explaining her curiosity about this unique community of decision-makers. She sets the stage for exploring how professionals from vastly different industries come together around the common goal of improving decision quality.What is SDP? Lindsay Oyola, SDP's President-Elect traveling from Rio de Janeiro, explains that SDP brings together people from all different industries—consultants, vendors, corporate employees, government workers, and wildlife societies—united by their focus on helping make better decisions."What brings it all together is that they're all helping practice how we make better decisions in all of the big decisions that we need to make," Lindsay explains. The society serves as a place where members can discuss decision-making techniques and share approaches across diverse contexts.Types of Programming and Engagement Lindsay outlines SDP's various offerings:Annual Conference: Three days of sessions ranging from deep mathematical approaches to behavioral and emotional aspects of decision-making, featuring true experts and practitioners.Monthly Webinars: Global learning opportunities about new ideas and developments in the field.Mentoring Programs: Past offerings that connected experienced practitioners with newcomers.Global Chapters: Local meetings (monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly) with speakers and activities that build community.The Diverse SDP Community The SDP community spans a remarkable range of expertise and experience levels. Members include:Advanced practitioners with 40+ years of experienceProfessors who also consultGame theory specialists working with governments and companiesCorporate decision-makers handling investment and capital decisionsNatural resource managers working with fish and wildlifeData scientists and analysts (even those whose titles don't reflect decision work)Lindsay emphasizes that whether you're a decision-maker or someone helping organizations use information to make decisions, SDP offers valuable learning opportunities.Decision Quality in Practice A conference attendee shares insights about decision quality as a structured yet flexible approach. "It's a structured way, but you can actually downsize it or upsize it whichever way you want," they explain, noting how the same principles apply whether counseling a daughter on course selection or facilitating strategic business decisions.The approach exposes practitioners to diverse concepts including psychology (Kahneman and Tversky's work), mathematics, uncertainty analysis, and emerging technologies like AI. This interdisciplinary nature makes it difficult to box the field into any single category.Cross-Industry Learning Members highlight the unique networking opportunities that extend far beyond typical industry conferences. The community includes professionals from:Pharmaceutical companies dealing with uncertaintyGovernment agenciesEnergy sector (a major contributor to decision quality practices)Water management and natural resourcesAcademia and software developmentLeadership and coaching"You get to meet like deep thinkers, professors from different universities that are either teaching decision quality or have had applications of it into software," one member notes. This cross-pollination of ideas makes attendees valuable contributors in their own work contexts.The Future of Decision Professionals An SDP leader expresses gratitude for the community's passion toward improving decision quality and excitement about expanding the field. Recent years have seen SDP broaden its umbrella to include more disciplines that support decision-making, integrating methods across fields with the goal of improving both quality and efficiency.The integration of data science and AI into conferences, talks, and workshops represents a significant opportunity to reach more audiences and help more decisions be made with high quality. This expansion recognizes that achieving the field's potential requires more than just traditional decision professionals.Who Should Join SDPMultiple members emphasize that SDP welcomes anyone interested in decision-making, particularly those who:Feel their current choices aren't getting them where they need to goExperience anxiety about decisionsWant to stop second-guessing themselvesDesire greater control over their futureThe society offers standards and structured approaches that can be freeing for anyone wanting to step up to leading their own lives. As one member shares through an artist's story, learning decision-making principles can be transformative for people in any field.Conclusion Michelle wraps up by reflecting on the diverse and welcoming nature of the SDP community, highlighting how decision-making serves as a universal skill that transcends industry boundaries. The episode demonstrates how structured approaches to decision-making can benefit anyone, from corporate executives to artists seeking greater control over their creative and personal choices.Key TakeawaysUniversal Application: Decision-making frameworks can be scaled for any situation, from personal choices to strategic business decisionsCross-Industry Value: Learning from practitioners in different fields expands thinking beyond traditional boundariesCommunity Support: SDP provides both deep learning opportunities and meaningful professional relationshipsStructured Freedom: Having frameworks for decision-making can be liberating rather than constrainingInterdisciplinary Approach: The field draws from psychology, mathematics, technology, and other disciplinesFuture-Focused: Integration with AI and data science is expanding the field's reach and impactMentioned in the PodcastSociety of Decision Professionals (SDP)Decision Quality frameworkKahneman and Tversky's work in psychologyAI and generative AI applications in decision-making About Michelle FlorendoMichelle Florendo is a Stanford-trained decision engineer and executive coach who is on a mission to teach people how to make decisions with less stress and more clarity. Over the past decade, she has coached and taught hundreds of leaders across tech, healthcare, and financial services, in organizations ranging from pre-IPO startups to major tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Salesforce. She's been an adjunct lecturer at Stanford, helps train coaches as a faculty coach for Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, and hosts the podcast, Ask A Decision Engineer. She earned her engineering degree from Stanford and her MBA from UC Berkeley.For those interested in exploring Michelle's coaching and speaking services further, additional information can be found on her professional website at poweredbydecisions.com.
