Hi, I’m Ruben Ugarte
I help high performing executives make dramatically superior decisions.
If you’re new here, you can start with latest essay ideas, the weekly newsletter or how to work with me.

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How I Can Help You Make Superior Decisions

Workshops, Training and Speaking
I can design custom training and workshops for your team and help you make better decisions.
The training can cover a wide range of ideas including decision speed, frameworks, dealing with risk, strategic decisions and more.
All training includes personalized examples from your own company to ensure the ideas resonate with your team, can be rapidly applied internally and are highly pragmatic.

Sentient Strategy®
I’ll help your organization and team formulate an effective strategy in six hours, in-person or remotely.
Don’t spend weeks or months formulating strategies that are out of date as soon as you put the finishes touches on the document.
Bring together your management team and think boldly about the future. You will also learn how to maximize the success of the strategy implementation and what common pitfalls to avoid.

Ruben’s Just-In-Time (JIT) Advisory ™
Work with me to build your Decision Confidence in real situations over 90 days. The JIT Advisory™ provides your with rapid advice on your most difficult situations and decisions.
Get an objective sounding board, accountability and support when you need it the most.
This is the best way to build your Decision Confidence over the long term for yourself and your team
LATEST Essays

How Ryanair Has Out Maneuver Competitors with Bold Decisions
I’m always on the lookout for companies who are making bold decisions. Sometimes, bold simply means standing still while the crowd recedes. That’s exactly what Ryanair did throughout the pandemic. Let’s turn the clock back to 2020, before we found ourselves arguing with loved ones about the efficacy of masks and vaccines. Simpler times for…

You Can’t Pay for Common Sense
If you have followed the news recently, then you know about the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB for short). It’s incredible to watch a bank run happen in real time especially with social media and our real-time news. An interesting fact has surfaced among all the chaos. In 2019, Bloomberg compiled a list…

How You’re Wasting $7,000 (Conservatively) Every Week
I was once in a 3-hour meeting where I said three words. I can’t even claim great importance for those three words because I merely confirmed what the CEO previously said. That 3-hour meeting had eight people but only two people spoke for the majority of the time. That single meeting had a cost north…

To Make Better Decisions, Forget About the People
Some companies can’t seem to move on from their charismatic leaders. I wrote previously about Starbucks and how it is haunted by the ghost of Howard Schultz, who always seems to come back, just to leave again. Disney seems to be suffering from the same affliction. Bob Iger is one of the most effective executives…

Have You Try Looking Under Your Nose?
Next time you’re out walking, do the following. Stop and look around. Notice the details you have likely missed despite walking by a location countless times. You might see a patio that you didn’t know was there or you’ll see a restaurant hidden away from view. It’s impossible for us to notice every little thing…

Can Marvel Survive the First-Generation Curse?
All religions have to solve the first-generation problem before they can become established. If you look at the first Christians—Peter, Paul, John and so forth—they all believed that Jesus Christ was returning within their lifetimes. They had no reason to think otherwise and that’s what they taught to the first few thousand followers. As the…
You Make 35,000 Decisions Every Day. How Many Do You Get Right?
We are told from a young age that we should strive to make the right decisions, but we aren’t taught how to do this. I’m excited to announce Bulletproof Decisions: How Executives Can Get it Right, Every Time to help business leaders close this gap. Download chapter 1 for free using the form below.