Over the past few years, we've seen the release of a slew of books devoted to the art and science of decision making. Authors like Dan Ariely, Daniel Kannehman, the Heath Brothers, and many more have all penned tomes devoted to advancing the understand why we do what we do.
Some of these are better than others. For my money, Kannehman's Thinking, Fast and Slow (affiliate link) is the best of the lot. At first glance, it might seem as if we need another book about decision making as much as we need another generic social media book-and we simply don't need more of these types of books.
And you'd be wrong. Left Brain, Right Stuff: How Leaders Make Winning Decisions (affiliate link) is a remarkable and different take on the subject and I highly recommend it.
Life Is More Complicated than Lab Experiments
I am a big fan of Rosenzweig's prior book
The Halo Effect:... and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers
. To me, it's an accurate and important criticism of texts that retroactively trumpet the virtues of successful companies and vastly simplify the notion of success. (Think Jim Collins and Malcolm Gladwell.)
The Halo Effect
remains one of a very few business books that I've read twice.
Left Brain continues with this theme of questioning what we really know about a well-trodden topic. In this case, it's decision making. Rosenzweig has a knack for shedding light on key areas that many books of this ilk have overlooked, misinterpreted, and/or failed to adequately address. Laboratory experiments by academics might tell us something about individual decision making in isolation, but it's more important to focus on decisions made in the business world. And for that we need a new, context-laden framework.
Readers looking for simple five-point checklists will find this book wanting. To that I say, "Good."
Rosenzweig challenges the reader to contemplate the context of real-world decisions. While this is much messier than the aforementioned experiments, it's essential for us to ask questions like:
- Is a reward based upon relative or absolute performance? And what is the relationship between the two?
- Are payoffs distributed or even known? Is it "winner take all" or is second prize a set of steak knives?
- Can the decision maker influence performance (as in business) or not (as in the lottery)?
- When is it wise to adopt an ostensibly "irrational" strategy?
- When-if ever-does the decision maker receive feedback? Immediately? Ten years down the road?
What's more, Rosenzweig's storytelling is fascinating. You feel like you're at the table when
went down. He complements his decision-making framework with interesting narratives of actual events (business, NASA). This is no theoretical text, but I walked away with a greater appreciation for the context of business decisions. I suspect that I'll
Readers looking for simple five-point checklists will find this book wanting. To that I say, "Good." Success in life and business hinges upon much more than pithy bromides. It's messier and much more nuanced, and this challenging book is a breath of fresh air.
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.