Decisive

By Chip & Dan Heath

Why You Should Read This Being “decisive” is not just a key trait of leadership, it allows us to realize our goals, affect change, and expand our impact. In fact, it does NOT mean “quick to arrive at a decision” and instead it means “resolute, determined, and unquestionable” (according to Merriam-Webster.) This book provides the tactical roadmap to the strategical concepts of how to arrive at decisive decision making and some of the tips one needs to place in their proverbial tool kit to build teams and lead them forward. Here is the link to the Audible version of the book but I also recommend buying a physical book that you can dog-ear and highlight.

Drs. Chip and Dan Heath, who coauthored Decisive: How to make better decisions in life and work, are exceptional at taking a concept built upon data science and breathing life into it by providing practical solutions that allow us to create everyday habits. These tips enable you to move beyond “analysis paralysis” or “quick decision making” so that our decisions are resolute, determined, unmistakable and most importantly it can allow us to meet our goals in a constructive path. What the authors offer is an alternative path that is backed by science but forged in practicality of “thinking it fast, but doing it slow.”
The concept of WRAP accomplishes this:

W – Widen Your Options
R – Reality Test Your Assumptions
A – Attain Some Distance
P – Prepare to Be Wrong

The book is filled with empowering concepts (one of my personal favorites is “zoom in-zoom out”) and examples of how to put them to good use, but at the core, the components of WRAP can assist in realizing the potential outcomes of our decisions by building great habits. Ultimately WRAP is meant to empower you to explore your curiosity and tap into your community to see another alternative. Furthermore, power can come from realizing that your first assumption or conclusion might not be the best and we should all give ourselves permission to experiment and take the time to explore potential outcomes.

How You Can Apply This My grandmother would always say “It is not what you do, it is the way that you do it that matters.” As leaders, we are often faced to make a critical decision in a relatively short period of time. WRAP offers examples of how you can view the potential outcomes so that you can make more informed decisions that enable you realize your vision and achieve your mission. Pay close attention to the “trip wire” concept throughout the book so that you review key decisions and learn what do not repeat decisions of the past as you lay the foundation for the future. And in widening your options, it important look at how you hire people and who bring them into your personal board of directors.

Additional Materials For Reinforcing What You Learned If you want to reinforce what you gained from this book by listening to a podcast, you might enjoy: Masters of Scale-Rapid Response with Reid Hoffman. The conversation not only explains why Reid Hoffman founded Masters of Scale, it also highlights his original podcast conversation with Sir Richard Branson and how he employs “WRAP” in his own unique way to build each of his companies.

This book review was written by Shelley A. Svoren, VP – Leader Development for IAWA and who is the CEO + Founder of Infinite Branches. You can DM her on LinkedIn.