The Unknown Knowns

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.Join the Sibylline Media mailing listhttps://mailchi.mp/sibylline.co.uk/sibyllinemediaIf you enjoyed this episode, let us know by liking, subscribing, or leaving a review.You can also contact us with any questions or feedback at [email protected] us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/sibyllineltd/?hl=enFollow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/sibylline-ltd/Follow us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@sibyllineTVFor more information, visit our website:www.sibylline.co.uk#Leadership #DecisionMaking #OrganisationalCulture #RiskManagement

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/Join the Sibylline Media mailing listhttps://mailchi.mp/sibylline.co.uk/sibyllinemediaIf you enjoyed this episode, let us know by liking, subscribing, or leaving a review.You can also contact us with any questions or feedback at [email protected] us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/sibyllineltd/?hl=enFollow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/sibylline-ltd/Follow us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@sibyllineTVFor more information, visit our website:www.sibylline.co.uk#Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #IntelligenceAnalysis #AI #DecisionMaking #FutureOfWork

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.Join the Sibylline Media mailing listhttps://mailchi.mp/sibylline.co.uk/sibyllinemediaIf you enjoyed this episode, let us know by liking, subscribing, or leaving a review.You can also contact us with any questions or feedback at [email protected] us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/sibyllineltd/?hl=enFollow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/sibylline-ltd/Follow us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@sibyllineTVFor more information, visit our website:www.sibylline.co.ukThis 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.

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.Never miss an episode, subscribe to our mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/sibylline.co.uk/podcastsignupIf you enjoyed this episode, let us know by liking, subscribing, or leaving a review! You can also contact us with any questions or feedback at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sibyllineltd/?hl=enFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sibylline-ltd/Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sibyllineTVFor more information, visit our website: www.sibylline.co.uk#AI #Leadership #Intelligence #Risk

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.Never miss an episode, subscribe to our mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/sibylline.co.uk/podcastsignupIf you enjoyed this episode, let us know by liking, subscribing, or leaving a review! You can also contact us with any questions or feedback at [email protected] us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sibyllineltd/?hl=enFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sibylline-ltd/Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sibyllineTVFor more information, visit our website: www.sibylline.co.uk