books about: decisions

books about: decisions

books:

Decisions

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

Dan Ariely

HarperCollins, 2008

Reality is absolutely relative.
At first glance, the title of Dan Ariely's book seems to be an oxymoron. (It certainly catches one's attention.) Can irrational thought and/or behavior be predicted? Perhaps if it is repetitive? (The judgment and behavior of at least some people can be repetitive and ...

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Malcolm Gladwell

Back Bay Books, 2007

The art of split-second thinking
There are almost one thousand reviews for this book, most are positive, do I need to submit one? Yes. The author discusses split-second thinking, or "in the blink of an eye" speed of thought. He postulates that those rapid decisions are usually better. He backs ...

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels

Michael Watkins

Harvard Business School Press, 2003

Great Primer for Taking On a Management Job
The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins is squarely aimed at the task of a manager coming in and dealing with a new team. Those first ninety days can really make or break a business relationship and it is well worth studying this information before you take on a new job. ...

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

Patrick M. Lencioni

Jossey-Bass, 2002

The best book on teamwork
This was a great book, an easy read that was packed with information and suspense. After reading the fictional part of the book, I found the in depth descriptions of each dysfunction at the end of the book very important and informative. Also what makes this book so ...

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein

Yale University Press, 2008

One of the best in the economics genre
Before I get to the book review, note that Thaler has done an excellent 1-hour talk about this book for Authors@Google, which is well worth your time whether or not you actually read Nudge. It's much better than the videos on Amazon. The book. Thaler & Sunstein ...

The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library)

Robert Sears

Little, Brown and Company, 2007

search for truth
Just what I was looking for! It is easy to find vast amounts of anti-vaccine material, but there is very little from the pro-vaccine side besides "don't worry; vaccines are safe". This book nicely fills the gap. Dr. Sears discusses vaccine ingredients, how common and ...

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

Dan Roam

Portfolio Hardcover, 2008

very nice
What a surprising book this is! It's easy to read, very inspiring and just fun to try it yourself. If you visit his website, you get a pdf doc with the basics; simply great.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Random House, 2007

original and great insight
This is the book I drag around everywhere, you can only read a few pages at a time because you need to think while digesting. the author is very knowledgable - sometimes too knowledgable, but that's a good thing, because he has a lot to say, a different point of view, ...

Before You Do: Making Great Decisions That You Wont Regret

T.D. Jakes

Atria, 2008

Comprehensive and Clear Delivery of Information!
It covers all the major decisions one needs to take in life, and arms you with the necessary steps to avoid regrets. Topics that are covered include marriage, divorce, taking risks, choosing your inner circle and avoid settling for less in your personal and business ...

The Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned from the Market's Perfect Storm

Robert F. Bruner, Sean D. Carr

Wiley, 2007

A nice lesson in economics
This small book does a good job of explaining the Panic that led to the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank. In 1907, JP Morgan was powerful enough, and the world of finance was small enough, that one man could stem the tide. He was 70 years old and had had enough ...

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life

John G. Miller

Putnam Publishing Group, 2004

QBQ Should Be Required Reading for Everyone!
I found QBQ through Dave Ramsey's radio program. Dave is the Financial Peace guru and author of The Total Money Makeover. I am a big Ramsey fan and I figured if QBQ was mandatory reading for his staff then it should be for me and my team as well. QBQ is a quick read ...

The Wisdom of Crowds

James Surowiecki

Anchor, 2005

Excellent Primer
There's a reason why democracy is the crappiest form of government, except all others (to paraphrase somebody famous). The theme of this book is that groups of people are smarter than individual people. It's sort of counterintuitive to the American spirit of ...

How Doctors Think

Jerome Groopman

Mariner Books, 2008

Do Doctors Think?
I am an R.N., and thought I knew how my fellow medical people, the doctors, thought. They acted in unusual ways at times, but I didn't know why. This book is a portal into the ways that the people who hold our lives in their hands, come to some of the decisions that ...

Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, ...

Harvard Business School Press, 2004

Primal Leadership - Emotional Intelligence
Great book! Can be used to take an assessment of yourself inside and outside of the business world. A must read.

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, ...

McGraw-Hill, 2007

Necessary Reading!
Great book for educators. Should be required reading for all who work with people. Practical and effective information taught in a comprehensive and understandable fashion. Our faculty is doing a group study and application to our school with great results!