Decisive : How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work

Authors Chip and Dan Heath help us make better decisions with their four-step process known as WRAP:

Widen Your Options:   Choices are rarely black-and-white so consider multiple alternatives. When life offers you "this or that" choices, always remember that the right answer might be "none of the above."

Reality-Test Your Assumptions:  Innovative business leaders, like the late Steve Jobs, understand the power of testing assumptions. Rather than spending months planning the perfect product, they have their design team hack together a quick mock-up and get it in the hands of potential customers. Real-world interaction tests assumptions, sparks new insights and leads to better products.

Attain Distance Before Deciding:  To make good decisions in the long run, we need to distance ourselves from short term emotions.

This means considering how we're  likely to feel about  a choice  over time.   For example, if you're  considering terminating an underperforming but likeable employee, ask yourself: how will I feel in one day, one week, and one year after firing them?  Chances are,  you'll feel pretty lousy at first but, having found an effective replacement, the whole episode will be a distant memory in the long run.

Prepare to Be Wrong:  Although companies often prepare for the downside when they're wrong about  a new initiative, few prepare adequately for a big upside.

For example, when a small firm called Minnetonka introduced Softsoap to the market, there were only two suppliers of the plastic pumps they needed. They turned this limitation into an asset by securing exclusive options with both suppliers, and effectively locked up the world's plastic pump supply for 24 months. This kept the big bar soap manufacturers out and allowed Softsoap to gain a dominant position.  Minnetonka didn't know if the product  would be a hit but they prepared for it and that allowed them to maximize their success.

By Chip Heath and Dan Heath