The Unknown Knowns

Intellectual Humility vs. Imposter Syndrome

info@sibylline.co.uk (Sibylline Podcasts) — Fri, 15 May 2026 16:35:56 +0100

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr Angela Lewis explores the difference between imposter syndrome and intellectual humility and why the distinction matters in intelligence, leadership and decision-making environments.

Drawing on psychology research, intelligence tradecraft and personal experience, Angela examines why high performers often question themselves most and why uncertainty is not always a sign of weakness. The episode explores rigor, judgment and the challenge of making decisions without perfect information.

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#Leadership #DecisionMaking #CriticalThinking #IntelligenceAnalysis #ProfessionalDevelopment

The Mint Strategy: Staying Resilient When Your Brain Wants to Tap Out

info@sibylline.co.uk (Sibylline Podcasts) — Wed, 13 May 2026 12:47:37 +0100

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr Angela Lewis explores what happens to judgment and decision-making under sustained pressure and how resilience can be built before cognitive overload takes hold.

Using the “mint strategy” as a framework, Angela examines how small interventions can interrupt stress spirals and improve analytical thinking in high-pressure environments. The episode explores cognitive resilience, premature closure, team dynamics and the systems that help people think more clearly when the stakes are high. This is a practical discussion about stress, judgment and the importance of building structures that support better thinking before pressure starts to narrow it.

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#Leadership #DecisionMaking #CriticalThinking #Resilience #IntelligenceAnalysis

The Sound of Silence

info@sibylline.co.uk (Sibylline Podcasts) — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:46:00 +0100

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr Angela Lewis explores the role silence plays in leadership, analysis and decision-making.

From uncomfortable meetings to high-pressure intelligence environments, Angela examines why silence is often misunderstood and how it can reveal uncertainty and hidden assumptions. The episode explores when silence creates space for better thinking and when it becomes avoidance that damages teams and decision-making.

This is a short reflection on communication, judgment and the signals people miss when nobody speaks.

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#Leadership #DecisionMaking #CriticalThinking #Communication #IntelligenceAnalysis

The Politics of Dissent

info@sibylline.co.uk (Sibylline Podcasts) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:06:00 +0100

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr Angela Lewis explores one of the most difficult challenges facing intelligence professionals and leaders: how to tell uncomfortable truths inside systems that may not want to hear them.

Using the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked as a framework, Angela examines two very different approaches to dissent: speaking truth from outside the system and influencing change from within it. She explores why both roles matter and why knowing when to challenge power directly versus when to work strategically inside existing structures is a critical professional skill.

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#Leadership #DecisionMaking #OrganisationalCulture #RiskManagement

The Value of Training

info@sibylline.co.uk (Sibylline Podcasts) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:21:00 +0100

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr Angela Lewis is joined by Sibylline’s Associate Director of Product Operations, Jack Nott-Bower, to explore why professional development is often overlooked in intelligence teams and why that creates long-term risks.

They examine the difficult transition from analyst to leader, why many high performers become bottlenecks after promotion and how training can help leaders build stronger teams rather than carrying the workload themselves. The discussion also explores how AI is reshaping analytical workflows, why judgment remains irreplaceable and how organisations can develop leaders who scale capability across entire teams.

The episode also highlights Sibylline’s upcoming in-person training event in San Francisco on 12 May, focused on leadership, judgment, language and authority in the age of AI.

Learn more about this in-person workshop here: https://sibylline.co.uk/leadership-for-intel-professionals-new-managers-judgment-language-and-authority-in-the-age-of-ai/

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#Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #IntelligenceAnalysis #AI #DecisionMaking #FutureOfWork

Flow! The Hidden Advantage of Deep Focus

info@sibylline.co.uk (Sibylline Podcasts) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:47:00 +0100

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr Angela Lewis explores the concept of “flow” — the state of deep, immersive focus where high-quality judgment and insight emerge.

Drawing on personal experience and cognitive science, she explains why modern work environments often prevent us from reaching this state, and why that comes at a cost to decision-making. The episode breaks down what flow actually is, why it matters for intelligence professionals and leaders, and how it can be deliberately engineered through clarity, challenge, and protected focus.

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This is not about productivity. It’s about thinking better in a world that constantly fragments attention — and why creating the conditions for flow is essential for anyone working in complexity.

The Algorithm Is Not Your Analyst

info@sibylline.co.uk (Sibylline Podcasts) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:49:00 +0100

AI can draft, summarise, and sound authoritative in seconds.

But it doesn’t understand what it’s saying.

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr Angela Lewis explores the real role of AI in intelligence and decision-making—and where it quietly goes wrong. From reinforcing flawed assumptions to projecting confidence without competence, generative AI is not a neutral tool. It is a pattern engine that reflects and scales human bias.

The core role of the analyst hasn’t changed: making meaning under uncertainty, calibrating risk, and owning consequences. What has changed is speed—and with it, the margin for error.

This episode examines why prompt discipline matters, how unexamined assumptions get amplified, and why fluency should never be mistaken for insight. AI can expand your thinking. It cannot replace your judgment.

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#AI #Leadership #Intelligence #Risk

The Bias Blind Spot

info@sibylline.co.uk (Angela Lewis) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:44:00 +0100

Before decisions are made, something else is already at work: bias.

In this premier episode of The Unknown Knowns, Dr. Angela Lewis explores the hidden role bias plays in shaping judgment, especially for intelligence professionals, leaders, and decision-makers operating under pressure. Far from being a flaw, bias is a feature of how we think—a set of cognitive shortcuts that help us move quickly through complexity. But when left unexamined, those same shortcuts can quietly distort perception, reinforce false certainty, and close off better alternatives.

Drawing on psychology, intelligence tradecraft, and real-world examples—from the Titanic to modern decision environments—this episode unpacks why awareness alone isn’t enough, why expertise can actually increase vulnerability to bias, and how the most dangerous bias of all may be the illusion of objectivity.

This episode sets the foundation for the series: moving beyond information toward insight, and turning instinct into disciplined judgment.

Because the goal isn’t to eliminate bias—it’s to think well in spite of it.

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