Copyright

Table of contents

Preface and Acknowledgements

Introduction

1 Entrepreneurial Genius– deciding on an idea for business

BECOMING A GENIUS

CONCEPTUAL BLOCKBUSTING

TEN KEYS TO INNOVATION

2 Deciding to‘Give It a Go’– how not to do it

THE ILLUSION OF CONTROL

THE OVERCONFIDENCE TRAP

DREAMING WITH DISCIPLINE

THE DANGERS OF MYOPIA

DENIAL

TOO GOOD TO LOSE?

OVERREACH

THE EXPERIENCE TRAP

3 Optimal Solutions– how to choose between alternatives

SIX THINKING HATS

SHORT CUTS

EXPLORING THE SNAGS

REFRAME

SHOWSTOPPERS

FACT, NOT ASSUMPTION

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

WEIGHING UP ALTERNATIVES

KILLER APPLICATION

THE ENIGMA OF EMOTION

4 Decisions about Future Investments– the sunk costs trap

SUNK COSTS

THE SUNK COSTS TRAP

GOLDEN RULE

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT?

SUNK COSTS AND SUCCESS

THE PAST

COUNT THE COST

EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE

DOLLARS, SENSE AND SUNK COSTS

NONSENSE AND SUNK COSTS

WHEN YOU SHOULD BREAK THE BANK

TIME VERSUS MONEY

5 Black Swans– decision making under stress

WHAT IS STRESS?

WHY IS STRESS HARMFUL?

WHAT CAUSES STRESS?

ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

TAKING CHARGE

ULTIMATE CHOICE

THE GOLDEN GATE

6 From Good to Great– crucial decisions

THE IDENTITY TRAP

DEFINING MOMENT

STRATEGY

7 Leading the Dream Team– group decisions

CULTURES OF CONFORMITY

STATUS

‘GROUPTHINK’ AND THE ICARUS PARADOX

RISKY SHIFTS AND CAUTIOUS SHIFTS

THE PARADOX OF INTERNAL POLITICS

LEADING THE DREAM TEAM: CULTIVATING CHARISMA

WALKING AROUND

8 Get Lucky– taking risky decisions

WHAT IS RISK?

WHY BAD RISKS ATTRACT

ON THE REBOUND

MANAGING BIG RISKS

THE PATEL STRATEGY

KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN

9 Be What You Can Be– decisionless decisions and the psychology of success

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS

ON A ROLL

ENTRAPMENT

THRIVING ON FEAR

DIY RISK ASSESSMENT

SPECULATING TO ACCUMULATE

ADAPT AND SURVIVE

THE DANGERS OF HERDING

QUANTUM SHIFTS

GO HIGHER

10 Decisions about ‘Runaway’ Projects– The escalation trap

THE DILEMMA

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ESCALATION

AUDIENCE EFFECTS

‘LOCK-IN’

WHAT ARE YOU GETTING INTO? PREVENTING ESCALATION

DEFINE EXPECTATIONS

COMMUNICATE

MONITOR PROGRESS

SET LIMITS

BUDGETS

CHANGE THE APPROACH

DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY

MINDS ARE FOR CHANGING

DECIDING WHAT TO REWARD

NOT INVENTED HERE

11 Negotiated Decisions

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

WAVING THE MAGIC WAND

HANDLING PRICE

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

HANDLING HARD BARGAINERS

GETTING PAST ‘TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT’

ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT

KEEP THE INITIATIVE

GET WHAT YOU WANT

THE POWER OF PATIENCE

A DASH OF PRAGMATISM

LANDING THE FISH

TRUST

HANDLING THE POWERFUL

ALTERNATIVES ARE POWER

YOU, THE POWERFUL

EPILOGUE