Making Great Decisions in Business and Life

Making Great Decisions in Business and Life PDF Author: David R. Henderson
Publisher: Chicago Park Press
ISBN: 0976854104
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
The phrase "work smarter, not harder" has been repeatedly ridiculed in the Dilbert comic strip and elsewhere, not because it is a bad idea, but because it is thrown like a brick lifesaver to drowning employees. To tell someone to work smarter is like telling someone to be happier, healthier, and richer. It's not much help to merely repeat the objective; what people need is a plan for achieving the objective.In Making Great Decisions, we show our readers how to achieve their objectives. We write to help those in business and those in the business of life--i.e., everyone--to work smarter. Our ideas are both simple and powerful. We offer a better way to look at problems so that the solutions are easier to find. We help supplement our readers' clear thinking by summarizing some of the most powerful techniques we have discovered.Have you ever driven through corn country? From a distance, all you see are corn stalks and more corn stalks in a jumbled mess. Then suddenly, when you get closer, your perspective changes, and you can see down the rows and realize that the corn was planted perfectly in straight lines. Your perception of the crop changes from a messy jumble to a clear picture simply because you're in the right spot. This book puts readers in that ideal spot. So many problems seem like hopeless jumbles but then, when you start using the techniques we discuss here, they start to look as straightforward as the straightest line in an Iowa cornfield.What motivated us to write this book is that, over the years, both of us have regularly come across people in organizations--often bright people with MBAs or other graduate degrees--who don't think they have time, energy, or skills to make good decisions. They have many clues but don't know how to put them together. They regularly face situations that they could analyze with some of the tools they learned in their courses, but they don't realize that. We don't hold ourselves apart from this group, and stories of our successes and failures are sprinkled throughout Making Great Decisions in Business and Life.

Making Great Decisions in Business and Life

Making Great Decisions in Business and Life PDF Author: David R. Henderson
Publisher: Chicago Park Press
ISBN: 0976854104
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Get Book Here

Book Description
The phrase "work smarter, not harder" has been repeatedly ridiculed in the Dilbert comic strip and elsewhere, not because it is a bad idea, but because it is thrown like a brick lifesaver to drowning employees. To tell someone to work smarter is like telling someone to be happier, healthier, and richer. It's not much help to merely repeat the objective; what people need is a plan for achieving the objective.In Making Great Decisions, we show our readers how to achieve their objectives. We write to help those in business and those in the business of life--i.e., everyone--to work smarter. Our ideas are both simple and powerful. We offer a better way to look at problems so that the solutions are easier to find. We help supplement our readers' clear thinking by summarizing some of the most powerful techniques we have discovered.Have you ever driven through corn country? From a distance, all you see are corn stalks and more corn stalks in a jumbled mess. Then suddenly, when you get closer, your perspective changes, and you can see down the rows and realize that the corn was planted perfectly in straight lines. Your perception of the crop changes from a messy jumble to a clear picture simply because you're in the right spot. This book puts readers in that ideal spot. So many problems seem like hopeless jumbles but then, when you start using the techniques we discuss here, they start to look as straightforward as the straightest line in an Iowa cornfield.What motivated us to write this book is that, over the years, both of us have regularly come across people in organizations--often bright people with MBAs or other graduate degrees--who don't think they have time, energy, or skills to make good decisions. They have many clues but don't know how to put them together. They regularly face situations that they could analyze with some of the tools they learned in their courses, but they don't realize that. We don't hold ourselves apart from this group, and stories of our successes and failures are sprinkled throughout Making Great Decisions in Business and Life.

How Great Decisions Get Made

How Great Decisions Get Made PDF Author: Don Maruska
Publisher: Amacom
ISBN: 9780814473986
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"A practical process for reaching true agreement, a must-have for anyone seeking to create and sustain high performance teamwork." - cover.

Profiles in Audacity

Profiles in Audacity PDF Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 9781402732829
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
In brief vignettes, historian Axelrod pinpoints and investigates the make-or-break event in the lives and careers of some of history's most significant figures. Axelrod reexamines history by answering the fascinating question of why the people who made history made their choices--and conveys the resonance of those choices today. The 46 profiles range from ancient times to the present day and include Cleopatra's decision to rescue Egypt; Washington's decision to cross the Delaware and win; Gandhi's decision to prevail against the British Empire without bloodshed; Truman's decision to drop the A-bomb and end WW II; Rosa Parks' decision to sit in for civil rights; Boris Yeltsin's decision to embrace a new world order; and Flight 93's decision to take a stand against terror.--From publisher description.

Summary: How Great Decisions Get Made

Summary: How Great Decisions Get Made PDF Author: BusinessNews Publishing,
Publisher: Primento
ISBN: 2806246725
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
The must-read summary of Don Maruska's book: "How Great Decisions Get Made: 10 Easy Steps for Reaching Agreement on Even the Toughest Issues". This complete summary of the ideas from Don Maruska's book "How Great Decisions Get Made" shows that businesses decisions are often surrounded by fear; employees are scared to express an opinion and they feel threatened by change imposed on them. This summary proposes a different way for businesses to approach decision-making, one that fosters enthusiasm, hope and cohesion. It gives ten steps for achieving this, ones which have been tested in Fortune 500 and high-growth companies over more than a decade. It also provides strategies for overcoming common obstacles you might encounter on the way. “If you’ve been bogged down in divisive and unproductive debates, just imagine what it would be like if your team member’s philosophy was ‘We can do this together’”. Everyone in the company should be a stakeholder, and as such should be given accurate information about the company and considered a decision-maker. All employees should be aware of the end-goal in any big decision, and the end-goal should be something everyone should have a stake in. Executives should never start a workforce meeting having decided the outcome. This summary explains how to overcome obstacles such as a blame-culture and circular debates. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand key concepts • Increase your business knowledge To learn more, read "How Great Decisions Get Made" and discover a way for businesses to develop their most valuable resource, their employees.

A Field Guide to Good Decisions

A Field Guide to Good Decisions PDF Author: Mark D. Bennett
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313065241
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
We all face tough choices: business executives, community leaders, and family members all struggle with difficult decisions on a daily basis. What we decide reveals what really matters to us; how we decide determines whether we succeed or fail. Developed over twenty years in settings as diverse as hospital bedsides and corporate boardrooms, A Field Guide to Good Decisions provides the skills to make decisions that reflect your core values while respecting those of others, including the long-term implications for all participants. Illustrated through many real-life examples that will resonate with readers both professionally and personally, A Field Guide to Good Decisions offers practical tools and techniques for identifying individual and common goals, reaching consensus, and communicating the results effectively. The authors also show readers how to overcome common obstacles to good decision-making (psychological, cultural, and organizational). Ultimately, this book is about making decisions which, while not always a matter of life or death, nevertheless have a powerful effect on our sense of self, our credibility in the eyes of others, and the lives of those touched by the choices we make. Decision making is always personal. Each of us makes important decisions at work, in the community, and at home. When we face tough choices, what we decide reveals what really matters to us; how we decide determines whether we succeed or fail. Business executives, community leaders, and family members all struggle with difficult decisions: a senior management team makes an important choice about whether to pursue an acquisition; a baby-boomer decides whether to place an elderly parent in assisted living; a non-profit administrator considers laying off employees to have money and continue serving the community. For each, the steps toward a good decision are the same: know your values, engage others to understand theirs, and communicate with respect and candor. Simple in concept, not so easy in practice—but making a good decision demands nothing less. Developed over twenty years in settings as diverse as hopsital bedsides and corporate boardrooms, A Field Guide to Good Decisions provides the skills to make decisions that reflect your core values while respecting those of others, including the long-term implications for all participants. Illustrated through many real-life examples that will resonate with readers both professionally and personally, A Field Guide to Good Decisions offers practical tools and techniques for identifying individual and common goals, reaching consensus, and communicating the results effectively. The authors also show readers how to overcome common obstacles to good decision-making (psychological, cultural, and organizational). Ultimately, this book is about making decisions which, while not always a matter of life or death, nevertheless have a powerful effect on our sense of self, our credibility in the eyes of others, and the lives of those touched by the choices we make.

Hard Call

Hard Call PDF Author: John McCain
Publisher: Twelve
ISBN: 0446198714
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 357

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Book Description
America's most inspiring politician pays tribute to men and woman who have exhibited composure, wisdom and intellect in the face of tough decisions. John McCain draws from experiences of both extraordinary people and people in extraordinary circumstances, culling lessons about the process and nature of judicious and effective decision-making. Acclaimed authors John McCain and Mark Salter describe the anatomy of great decisions in history by telling the remarkable stories of men and women who have exemplified composure, wisdom, and intellect in the face of life's toughest decisions. They identify six qualities typically represented in the best decisions: Awareness. Timing. Foresight. Confidence. Humility. Inspiration. These qualities are personified by the exceptional individuals in this book, each of whom made a hard call, including: Henry Ford's decision to sacrifice his company's competitive edge by reducing the work day and guaranteeing a minimum wage; Branch Rickey's decision to offer Jackie Robinson a contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the face of public opposition; Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 's decision to return to wartorn Liberia after receiving an economics degree from Harvard; General Fred Weyand's decision to redeploy fifteen of his battalions despite resistance from senior American military commanders in Vietnam. Woven into these stories are John McCain's own views on the process and art of decision-making and examples of the hard calls we face in our lives. "When I assess a decision," McCain writes, "I want to know all I can about the character of the decision maker before I examine the properties of the decision, its outcome or how it was arrived at." Hard Call is a testament to the people whose choices serve as a beacon for us all.

Take Charge of Your Talent

Take Charge of Your Talent PDF Author: Don Maruska
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1609947371
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
Whether you’re the new kid in a cubicle, the boss in the executive suite, or self-employed, you have huge potential for greater productivity and fulfillment. Even very high performers in excellent organizations—large and small, for profit and nonprofit—report that 30 to 40 percent of their talent is untapped. Imagine what lies waiting for you. Take Charge of Your Talent details three keys to develop and enjoy your abilities. You’ll discover new ways to identify your aspirations and opportunities, power past obstacles, and translate your intentions into results. Finally, you’ll create a personal brand with enduring career assets that will multiply the payoffs for yourself and your organization. “This inspiring book will teach you how to unlock your gifts and release your power and potential.” —Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Great Leaders Grow “This wonderfully practical and inspiring book is based on a belief I cherish: that all humans are creative and have talent.” —Margaret J. Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science and So Far From Home “Maruska and Perry’s book shows how we can harness our talents in ways that expand our horizons, ramp up our ability to bring out our best, and energize those around us in the same way. Indispensable.” —Michael Ray, professor emeritus, Stanford Business School, coauthor of Creativity in Business, and author of The Highest Goal

Get Wise

Get Wise PDF Author: Bob Merritt
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 144122047X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
We make dozens of decisions, big and small every day--some without much thought at all. But with many decisions, there's a certain amount of danger. One wrong decision can destroy a career or a marriage. A string of wrong decisions can derail a life. So how do we know if our decisions are wise ones? Pastor Bob Merritt has found that the best way to get it right is to cultivate godly wisdom. In Get Wise, he takes God's best wisdom as found in the book of Proverbs and applies it to the top decisions every person has to make--decisions about education, work, family, friends, sex, parenting, money, and more. Topic by topic, he shows readers how to make choices that result in long-term benefits in health, reputation, peace, and finances.

Judgment Calls

Judgment Calls PDF Author: Thomas H. Davenport
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
ISBN: 142215811X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Your guide to making better decisions Despite the dizzying amount of data at our disposal today—and an increasing reliance on analytics to make the majority of our decisions—many of our most critical choices still come down to human judgment. This fact is fundamental to organizations whose leaders must often make crucial decisions: to do this they need the best available insights. In Judgment Calls, authors Tom Davenport and Brook Manville share twelve stories of organizations that have successfully tapped their data assets, diverse perspectives, and deep knowledge to build an organizational decision-making capability—a competence they say can make the difference between success and failure. This book introduces a model that taps the collective judgment of an organization so that the right decisions are made, and the entire organization profits. Through the stories in Judgment Calls, the authors—both of them seasoned management thinkers and advisers—make the case for the wisdom of organizations and suggest ways to use it to best advantage. Each chapter tells a unique story of one dilemma and its ultimate resolution, bringing into high relief one key to the power of collective judgment. Individually, these stories inspire and instruct; together, they form a model for building an organizational capacity for broadly based, knowledge-intensive decision making. You’ve read The Wisdom of Crowds and Competing on Analytics. Now read Judgment Calls. You, and your organization, will make better decisions.

How to Make Great Decisions

How to Make Great Decisions PDF Author: Mike Schmitz
Publisher: Wellspring
ISBN: 9781635820669
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Should I buy dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Which college should I attend? Should I be married or single? We face thousands of decisions, big and small, every day. But have you ever felt like you are too busy "discerning" to actually decide? True decision-making is more than just thinking about something . . . decisions involve taking action. YouTube star, Fr. Mike Schmitz, gives you the tools to decide what to do with your life today, tomorrow, and in the future with clarity and confidence. In this little book you will learn to: know when God is speaking, how to recognize the "signs," and make wise decisions for your life. Fate is when you're fixed; you don't have a choice. Destiny is your destination . . . Know your destiny.