Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition
By Michael J. Mauboussin
Harvard Business School Press, 224 pages, $29.95
Beware of gurus offering advice on decision-making. One such self-proclaimed sage -- a professor who wrote a book on gullibility -- was duped by Bernard Madoff.
That said, Michael J. Mauboussin's needlessly complex tome is flecked with bits of valuable advice, such as keeping a decision-making journal so you can look back later at why you did something -- without the distortion of hindsight -- and conducting a "premortem" to assess possible outcomes before you act. The author suggests recognizing the role of luck, listening to dissenters who challenge your predilections and making a checklist of decision-making steps -- all sound suggestions under any circumstances.
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