I work with boards and executive teams on judgement, interpretation, and decision quality under pressure.
My focus is not innovation programs, or idea generation — it is examining how decisions are interpreted before execution makes failure expensive.
Across boards, executive teams, I've observed the same patterns — intelligent, experienced professionals consistently misinterpret data in predictable ways.
When interpretive range narrows, insight disappears.
This is not a failure of intelligence or effort.
It is a failure of judgement under constraint.
Insight emerges when interpretation is broadened — not accelerated.
- Christopher S. Sellers
WHAT BECOMES
VISIBLE
When judgement is examined critically, consistent patterns appear that are repeatable and testable under constraint.
This is where insight emerges — not from intelligence, but from interpretive range.
Where multiple interpretations are possible, but only one view is considered.
Where data appears conclusive, but is structurally ambiguous.
Where experience narrows interpretive range instead of expanding insight.
Where ideas feel strong because they are familiar, not because they are valuable.
AI VERSUS JUDGEMENT
AI increases the speed, volume, and confidence of interpretation — but not its range.
In high-stakes environments, this creates a new risk where decisions appear rigorous, data-rich, and validated, while remaining structurally shallow.
My work insulates against this failure mode by:
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Exposing where AI reinforces a single dominant interpretation.
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Distinguishing pattern recognition from insight.
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Ensuring judgement remains adaptive, not automated.
The issue is not AI capability — it is unexamined interpretation at scale.
Background
Author of:
Applied Creativity (2022)
Why Smart People Aren’t Creative (2025)
My work explores creative skills, abstract intelligence, and the limits of technical expertise in complex decision-making.
A consistent finding is that technical skill, experience, and seniority do not correlate with insight.
I designed the Executive Insight Stress Test, as a diagnostic tool to examine judgement before execution begins.
How I work
I work 1:1 with Chairs, CEOs, and executive teams.
Engagements are discrete, time-bound, and diagnostic — typically before major strategic commitments or during periods of uncertainty.
My work is most commonly applied in financial services and venture capital, where decision quality is scrutinised and the cost of error is high.
I work primarily remotely, with in-person engagements when appropriate.
Location
I am based in Sydney, Australia. Working internationally.