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Better Decisions Start with Better Questions with Ricardo Valerdi

What changes when leaders stop asking only what decision should we make? and start examining how we are making it?

In this episode of the Change Management Review™ Podcast, Theresa Moulton speaks with Dr. Ricardo Valerdi, Engineering Professor at the University of Arizona, about how leaders and teams can make better decisions in complex environments, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly involved in how organizations analyze information and make choices.

Drawing on his work with organizations including SpaceX, the U.S. Army, Major League Baseball, and the National Collegiate Athletics Association, Ricardo introduces his FLASH framework for team decision-making. He explores why strong decisions depend on more than data or individual expertise, how teams can surface blind spots and challenge confirmation bias, and why AI can accelerate parts of the decision-making process without replacing the human responsibility to exercise judgment and own the outcome.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why a leader’s role is not necessarily to have all the answers, but to create an environment where good decisions and hard decisions can be made by bringing together different perspectives and skills.
• How Ricardo’s FLASH framework helps teams focus on the right questions, look at the available information, analyze consequences, scrutinize options, and humanize the decision-making process.
• Why asking “What questions am I not asking?” and identifying potential blind spots can help teams challenge confirmation bias, strengthen trust, and stress-test important decisions.
• How AI can help teams process information and examine data more quickly, while human judgment and accountability remain essential to deciding what the information means and what should happen next.
• Why giving people a meaningful role in the decision-making process can strengthen understanding and support, even when the final decision is not the one they would have chosen.

Guest Bio

Dr. Ricardo Valerdi is an engineer, social entrepreneur, sports scientist, and Engineering Professor at the University of Arizona.

Through his work developing teams that think clearly and decide confidently, Ricardo has helped organizations including SpaceX, the U.S. Army, Major League Baseball, and the National Collegiate Athletics Association make better decisions.

He is also a passionate advocate for STEM education for young learners and founded the nonprofit Science of Sport, which has impacted more than 700,000 students by reframing math and science through the lens of sports.

Ricardo lives in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife, their three children, and two energetic dogs.