As summer approaches, there are a number of good books you may want to consider that will not necessarily make the top 10 lists but that will provide food for thought. These books are not mysteries, psychological thrillers, romance novels or historical fiction. These are books that offer keen insights into leadership and management challenges, which on a day-to-day basis can bring their own dramas, twisting plot lines and, in this city, political intrigue.
A good place to start is the latest book from Chip and Dan Heath, Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work. In their classic conversational style, the Heath brothers present a well researched, easy reading book about improving decision-making on everything from personnel to personal actions.
The authors lay out leadership traps that include overconfidence, the tendency to seek out information that supports your own point of view and to downplay information that doesn't, and the common habit of getting distracted by short-term emotions. The Heath brothers propose a four-step process designed to counteract these biases and, in doing so, provide real-life stories that include a rock star's inventive decision-making trick and a CEO's terrible acquisition.
You also may want to check out The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppler. This short book outlines several decision-making tools you can use, whether you're looking to manage your time better, deliver a message that sticks, settle a dispute with a colleague, motivate your team, or help your team learn from mistakes. I rely on these models whenever I confront a tough decision.
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