Cataloging Information
Decisionmaking & Sensemaking
In Useem’s earlier book, “The Leadership Moment,” he described leadership lessons that could be learned from various situations, including the Mann Gulch disaster. In this book, Useem has turned his attention from leadership to decision making, where he states that every decision comes down to a “go point—that decisive moment when the essential information has been gathered, the pros and cons weighed, and the time has come to get off the fence”. Useem interviewed scores of people up and down the chain of command for this book (for example, CEO’s, former U.S. Presidents, on-the-ground firefighters) and he uses numerous case studies, including the fall of Enron, the South Canyon wildfire entrapments, and General Robert E. Lee’s decision making at Gettysburg, to develop his main points. This volume is rich with stories that are enjoyable to read, and each chapter ends with charts displaying decision making principles and techniques that can be garnered from a close reading of the stories in the book and then applied to the reader’s work life.