The why of making decisions
592788
Most project management books explain a methodology in detail. When managers read those books, they think they need to cover every section, create all possible documents. Bob Lewis' Bare Bones book isn't about a methodology of project management; it is about how to manage projects to get them done. At every step of the way, the _reason_ for creating the documentation or making the decision is first and foremost. If it doesn't help the project, don't do it. He still covers all the aspects of a project so you don't accidentally miss an important step but he helps the reader maintain focus on the managing of the project, not on the methodology of managing the project.
  Buy it for your boss or for people on committees in charge of overseeing projects. Things may improve.
  The book is definitely worth the money. It's a good read chockful of pithy information.
3554883
This book presents an extremely persuasive argument for seeking the insight of other keen minds in reaching decisions, while also being very careful to avoid groupthink.  It is as inspiring to read as it is tight in its logic.
474180
One problem that strong leaders face is getting honest advice and then making a decision based on the best information and opinions available. Adolf Hitler is a classic case in point where he was so convinced that he was infallible that he wanted only yes-men around. At the other extreme, we've all met people who study things forever and refuse to make a decision. The critical point is to gather all the information and opinions possible, and then to not be afraid to make a decision.

In this book Dr. Roberto  combines these points with the need for all participants in the decision making process to come to a consensus on the best way to proceed. As he puts it, too often individuals involved begin viewing 'the situation as a contest to be won or a test of wills.' This can leave the 'loser' in a position where he feels ignored or sidelined enough that he decides to leave. Or, it can create as he puts it, 'a culture of indecision' where decisions don't get made at any level.

I was also interested in his discussion of assigning an official 'Devils Advocate' to look at a project. He reports that JFK assigned two devils advocates to present contrasting views of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This obviously worked out well. As we now know, the Soviet military in Cuba had short range nuclear weapons in stock and were prepared to use them in the case of an invasion.

We are in a period where great changes in the world economy are upon us: the growth of China, constantly rising energy costs, the growth of terrorism in much of the world. It is a time when we will need 'Great Leaders,' in business and elsewhere. Decision making is what great leaders do, and the processes laid out here offer new insight into managing this decision process.
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This collection of research based essays is a classic discussion of Montgomery's contribution to the understanding of human argumentation and decision making. Professionals and researchers alike with find the insights helpful to the analysis of individual and group judgment. Montgomery makes a clear and well supported argument for the establishment of a dominance structure as fundamental to developing a confidence in the judgments that ground leadership and personal high stakes decision making.
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This book is about the power of quick, almost instantaneous, decisions that some people make with excellent results. It is about the value of intuition. Our subconscious mind can integrate small, even subtle, clues to very quickly make great decisions. Of course, not everyone can do this. This book, in part, is about who has this power, how valuable is it, and what can be done to acquire this power. The second part of the book is about how we often get these quick decisions wrong.
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In this original, honest and sometimes amusing book Gary Klein studied expert decision makers, such as firefighters, soldiers and chess masters, who operate under highly challenging conditions. He shares his early assumptions about how they made decisions, but his research reveals that his initial theories were wrong. He has learned what good decision making requires and shares that expertise in tightly focused chapters rich with examples. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone interested in decision making, and especially to those who make high-stakes determinations under dynamic conditions: leaders, strategists, futurists, investors and businesspeople.
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I face difficult decisions every day -- the underlying information on which to base any of my decisions is often incomplete or uncertain.  Some such decisions, e.g. structuring the terms of a licensing agreement, often  draw upon industry-standard metrics of evaluation... but in reality both  sides are looking into a crystal ball, weighing our risks against the  possibility of success.  It is an uncomfortable state; blunders can be  costly -- as can be lost opportunities.  Amram and Kulatilaka have put  together a masterful roadmap for evaluating uncertainty -- one which can  even clarify "gut-feelings".
"Real Options: Managing  Strategic  Investment in an Uncertain World" was particularly easy to  read because of the many examples provided.  They wrote this as a handbook  for decision-makers, the managers and licensing executives who up to their  eyeballs in choices, negotiations, and deals -- its not just a textbook for  economics graduate students.
Interestingly, I found the Real Options  strategies applied to decision-making outside the envelope of license  negotiations.  I use this strategy to value my investment of time and  resources in a variety of projects where uncertainty often seems to be the  overiding variable.
Yes, risk and uncertainty are part of real life --  they sure can make your stomach hurt.  Real Options can help you find your  path and ease the stomach-pain of choosing.
3036727
The content is really important and useful to understand a lot about how we decide and take or choices. It has been written in a very easy language that makes most of us, common people, few very comfortable with.
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Great for anyone wanting to make life changing choices.
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This book was written by Daniel Kahneman, who won the Nobel Prize in economics, despite being a psychologist.  This book is about how we make decisions quickly based on intuition, and only rarely use a more methodical approach to decision making.  According to the author, or more accurately according to a large body of evidence built largely by the author, we don't even realize how are decision making processes work and generally avoid having to think very hard.  This is not an assault on people's intelligence but merely a description of the way we work, as revealed by psychological studies.  Kahneman presents arguments and data that is hard to counter and I have become convinced by his central hypothesis that we are not as good at making decisions as we would like to believe.  This book is generally well written and the author usually introduces a new topic either with a puzzle that was useful in gathering data on a particular hypothesis or by relating an anecdote about how he came to study a topic and who he studied it with.  In fact, the only reason that I don't give this book 5 stars is that sometimes there are a bit too many anecdotes and it can almost seem like the author is the Forrest Gump of psychology because he seems to have been integral in every major discovery for the last 40 or so years.  Still, I really enjoyed this book and it was interesting to gain some insight into the ways that decision making processes occur.
3454075
I would highly recommend this book, it really makes you think of your own decisions, you have made in life......excellent read
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Life is full of many choices... and teaching children to make correct choices at an early age is an important lesson now... and always.

Discerning the balance of our actions is crucial, and I applaud Kalli for illustrating the importance of good decisions in the examples she presents.
2793840
It was an interesting read. It really makes rethink the choices you may make
3891735
This book is straight-forward with good advice on thinking through how to make decisions, not avoiding them.  Christians today tend to search for "God's Will" at the expense of doing right things, and this book fights against that.  I think the most helpful take away for me was that God can redeem our bad decisions, so we should make decisions rather than get stuck by not making a decision at all.
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This is a well written and useful book. It brings together many ideas and shows how they apply in specific examples, and the scientific experiments that back them up. It is well referenced, and generous in acknowledging the contributions of others.

It's main theme is how we get things done, and what helps us to stick to a task, and what attracts us into distractions. We each seem to have a certain finite capacity for making active decisions and choices each day. Once we are exahusted by the effort involved we easily succumb to temptation and distraction. I dread to think what quality my (medical)decisions have at the end of my day at work- there's a good story about judges and their parole decisions- and how these depend as much on the time of the day and the judge's physiological reserves for decision making, as they do on the facts of the case. As it says on p98, "Decision making depletes your willpower, and once your willpower is depleted, you're less able to make decisions. If your work requires you to make hard decisions all day long, at some point you're going to be depleted and start looking for ways to conserve energy."

The differences between those who go for immediate gratification and those who can hold out for delayed gratification are deep and significant. This book is very helpful at explaining these and showing how you can alter your habits towards longer term success- the first habit is to have a plan for the long term, and make sure your long term is over an hour ahead.

This book will be helpful to those of us who have long term plans- and want to increase our chances of achieving them. Order it now.

And for parents it has some smart hints about what kinds of rewards will motivate children well.
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Matt gives deep insight into making good decisions, no matter how big, in this little book.
Matt is also an authority on making big decisions! He left a thriving ministry deep in the heart of Texas to take on the role of pastor in essentially a dead church in the heart of New York City.
Whatever your tough call is, this book can help you make the right decision.
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This book is great for anyone that struggles with making decisions in life. Sometimes I can be indecisiveness if I have many options and other times I can be so confident in one decision over another. But why?. This book has helped lay a more firm foundation to make small and be decisions in my life and it also provided great quotes, scripture references and conviction that has pointed me toward a better path