Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have been waiting for this book for quite some time, and my high expectations were not disappointed. After hearing a short podcast conversation between Dan Pink and the Heath brothers nearly a year ago, I have been intrigued with the ideas and processes leading up to choices I make in both formal and informal settings. This book offers a series of tips and insights to improve the decision-making process. It isn't a formula, but more of a checklist. Some of the key principles in here I want to remember include: - 10-10-10 concept. When contemplating and decision consider how you will feel about one particular choice in 10 minutes, 10 months, and what about 10 years? Often taking a moment to reflect on how time will alter our perspective of the choice things will become more clear - Take your own advice. People tend to give their best friends better advice than they do themselves! - Consider what would have to be true for a particular decision to be the correct or best one. Often we only think about evidence that supports what we think is the best choice, when in reality our confirmation bias is likely hiding a better solution. -Avoid seeing decisions as just "this or that", rather look for "this AND that". We can get tunnel vision and blinders keep us from seeing there are more solutions to a problem than the two conflicting ones at hand. There are many other great takeaways from this book, and the Heath Brother's website provides some excellent resources to review and integrate these principals in light of your own life and experience. I appreciated this book, and hope to actually use some of the things in there rather than just writing and talking about them. The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read "E-Myth Revisited" after being directed to it by a leader at work, and I am so glad I did! As I prepare to start my own small business in the coming months, I feel this book was and will continue to be invaluable. Breaking a part the technician, entrepreneur, and manager inside of me and working on my business and not IN my business are all things that make sense and that I had not considered at all. Another big part of the book focuses on systems, not talent, as the key to creating a business that works. Basically Gerber says one should try to create a system that can run without you. I really appreciated the way he described how to go about starting the business, and that it matters very much the way you begin. The infancy stage and adolescent stage actually don't lead to a full and mature business! To get that you must start with one, or at least start with a very clear idea of what you are trying to do and what system you are attempting to use to make that vision real. I am grateful I read this, and though it didn't take long it really changed the way I view myself and the way I want to start my small business. View all my reviews
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AuthorI am a graduate student in Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University. I enjoy writing, hiking, and spending time with my family. Archives
June 2015
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