The Little Black Book of Decision Making
“Michael Nicholas has produced a fascinating piece of work. This book will challenge you in many ways – particularly in how you make decisions in all parts of your life, not just in daily business. It takes the reader through a logical, data-rich and scientifically proven journey that will cause you to pause and reflect on numerous occasions. If you only read one book this year, I would highly recommend you make it this one – you will not be disappointed.”
Stephen Murphy, President International Business, DJO Global
“I never normally get too excited about another decision making model or how to book, however this is an excellent read from Michael Nicholas. The book articulates as thorough a history and neuro-scientific explanation of decision-making through the ages of evolution as I have ever read, illustrated through great and at times tragically powerful examples and insights. It then concludes rather compellingly that the new way, despite the power of emerging artificial intelligence-based solutions, must nonetheless revolve around a human rather than machine outcome and contain a mindful approach at its core. I particularly loved ‘The Inside-Out Challenge’. ”
Ben Bengougam, Senior Vice President Human Resources EMEA, Hilton
“Over the last few years, mindfulness has become part of the mainstream business dialogue. To have meaningful impact on performance though, we need it brought to life in such a way that it entices us to really change our thinking and behaviours, not dissimilar to the impact of a great school teacher on his or her pupils. Michael achieves this in his new book, creating a convincing argument that mindfulness can be a key driver in improving one of the most critical leadership capabilities – decision making. It is fresh, thought provoking and very stimulating. Definitely a book that I'll be recommending to others.”
Robbie Feather, Commercial Director, Argos
“Rational decision making has long been the natural approach adopted by strategists and business leaders alike. But this book demonstrates that as the clock speed of business speeds up and business environments become more complex, this approach will become less and less reliable. Future business landscapes will place the emphasis onto learning how to develop aspects of mindset and judgment, rather than simply the empirical skills of old. Crucially, this book will show you how.”
Rob Woodward, Chief Executive Officer, STV Group plc
“The word ‘little’ in the title of this book is deceiving. The book is jam-packed with thoughts and insights that will transform your understanding of decision making, demonstrating that there is a lot more to it than: doing it on a whim, with gut instinct or as some kind of knee-jerk reaction, but that a purely rational approach won't get you there either. Michael diligently covers the whole bandwidth – from learning from mistakes and breaking the rules, all the way to how mindfulness awareness can reshape decision-making abilities. Enjoy it!”
Kai Boschmann, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, International SOS
“There can be no doubt that the number of decisions we are asked to make, and the amount of information available to consider in the process, are in exponential growth. So how can we synthesise and deal with such complexity quickly and confidently? This book will provide you with a completely new understanding of how to use your brain differently to make better and faster decisions. What's more, unlike many business books which I find to be quite turgid and uninspiring, this one manages to address a complex subject in depth, while remaining readable, digestible and stimulating. A brilliant book!”
Rhian Bartlett, Senior Director, Multinational eCommerce Corporation
“The Little Black Book of Decision Making teaches you how to train for success by dramatically improving your self-awareness, remaining in the moment, and focusing attention in a much more conscious and deliberate way. As I can attest from my own experience, as you do so you will become progressively more able to respond rather than reacting, enabling you to make decisions that are more flexible, creative, and appropriate to the challenges being faced. Like all things that are worthwhile, the application of the ideas in this book will require some effort, particularly at a mental level, but the results – including more consistent judgment and better relationships, both at work and in your life in general – will be well worth it.”
Richard Crampton, Managing Director, Retail Trading & Services, Coop
“This book may surprise you if you have never looked in depth at the impact that our internal world can have on how we perceive and evaluate external events. It is one of the finest books that I've read dealing not only with the ‘what’ but also the ‘how’ of decision making, presenting a powerful case that improvements must start from within. This book will help you to do just that.”
Aidan Neill, Chief Executive Officer, Bitposter
“Learn how you can develop to assure your success in today's ever changing environment… If you have read any of the many books on cognitive biases, but still found yourself wanting an answer to ‘how’ to improve your decision making, your interactions and ultimately your results, this book may be just what you have been waiting for. It draws on recent scientific discoveries to both explain why knowledge of these biases rarely allows them to be addressed effectively and what we can do to develop the mental capability and focus required. This is not a book that you can just expect to breeze through – it will force you to think. To me, that is a very good thing. I loved it. Michael is a true inspiration both as a coach and an author.”
Michelle Burton, HR Director, Poundland
“If you want to progress beyond the standard, and well understood, approaches to decision making to which we have all become accustomed, to the highest levels necessary for leadership, read this book. It offers an in-depth explanation of why and when changes are necessary, and will show you how to turn that understanding into results that extend far beyond the norm.”
Paul Sagoo, Chief Executive Officer, Lemon Group
“The Little Black Book of Decision Making provides a detailed exploration of the internal and external factors that drive decisions. Did you consider yourself to be a rational decision-maker? Read this book – it will give you pause for thought that definitely has the potential to improve your judgment. It shows how, by directing attention internally, towards our motivations and thoughts, we can increase self-awareness and thereby produce improvements in our external results. An engaging and insightful read.”
Jat Sahota, Head of Commercial – Retail, Land Securities
“Michael offers a different level of insight as to why we make decisions in the way that we do, how the ‘rules of the game’ are changing and, more importantly, how we can improve our decision making. I doubt whether this is a book that you will want to breeze through in an evening, as taking the time for deeper reflection could deliver huge benefits in terms of your own self-awareness, the value of which is just one of the many principles that the book addresses. Great stuff, and it works!”
Darren Sinclair, Zone Managing Director, Sainsbury's
“Decisions are vital to the way we navigate our daily lives both within the workplace and outside of it. We make hundreds, perhaps thousands, of decisions of varying significance every day, and yet how many of us genuinely pause to think about how we can improve our decision-making and the underlying judgment that results in these decisions? Michael Nicholas' book challenges us all to think about what's at the heart of the decision-making process and understand how we can improve the quality of our decisions through mindful awareness of the role of the conscious and sub-conscious in our thought processes. Simply put, the key to good decision-making starts from the inside-out and being willing to understand, and change, ourselves.”
Gareth Campbell, Senior Partner, International Consulting Firm
“This book is an incredibly enjoyable and thought-provoking read – exploring and developing an approach for attacking challenges that most of us are only just beginning to recognise or comprehend. Of course it is more than just a ‘management’ book for the workplace, with