The Purposeful Decision Maker

A Guide to Making Great Decisions in Life and Business

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on Waterstones
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 12 Nov 2024 | Archive Date 12 Dec 2024

Talking about this book? Use #ThePurposefulDecisionMaker #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

The Purposeful Decision Maker presents Pádraig Ó Céidigh’s groundbreaking and holistic approach to decision-making in life and business. He explores both his own rich experience and the most up-to-date thinking in this area to arrive at a methodology for making great decisions consistently.

The process begins with the concept of safe harbor: the people, places, and principles that are most important to you. Making great decisions is all about protecting that safe harbor and ensuring your actions are consistent with who you are at your core. Pádraig then explores the different analytic approaches required to distill information into actionable knowledge. He shows how the unseen biases that lurk beneath so many critical decisions can be drawn into the light.

Instinct plays a critical role in all human interactions. Sometimes going with one’s gut makes sense; sometimes a more detached analysis is required. The skill lies in knowing which situation is which. Pádraig also demonstrates how experience is an excellent teacher. When we have the courage to objectively explore our own history, we discover an excellent source of critical knowledge.

Entrepreneurs dance with this risk in order to create something new and exciting in the world. Pádraig shines a light on risk and entrepreneurial decision-making. What are the best ways of quantifying, monitoring, and mitigating this risk? He addresses the critical area of unintended consequences and the means of revealing them early in the decision-making cycle. An approach to group decision-making completes a framework that is as brilliant as it is intuitive.

The Purposeful Decision Maker presents Pádraig Ó Céidigh’s groundbreaking and holistic approach to decision-making in life and business. He explores both his own rich experience and the most...


Advance Praise

“Pádraig Ó Céidigh is one of Ireland’s truly great entrepreneurs and leaders. Reading this incisive book, one comes away vastly better equipped to make the best decisions.” - LORD KARAN BILIMORIA, CBE, DL, founder and chairman of Cobra Beer and former president of the Confederation of British Industry

“The Purposeful Decision Maker is not just a book; it’s a catalyst for personal and professional transformation, empowering readers to make choices that resonate with their deepest values and drive progress in every facet of life. For me, this is one of the most powerful books I have read in a very long time.” - FRANK O’KEEFFE, managing partner, EY Ireland

“Good decision-making separates elite performers from the rest. Pádraig's book will help you develop this priceless skill.” - PAUL O’CONNELL, former captain of both the Irish rugby team and the British and Irish Lions rugby team

“As the world rushes toward an uncertain future, The Purposeful Decision Maker is a much-needed, timely guide to making great decisions consistently. Pádraig uniquely blends what is personal with what is strategic. A must-read for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and anyone who is ready to be more purposeful in the decisions they make today for shaping the future they want tomorrow.” - LAILA MAROUF, PHD, founder and chief knowledge officer, Knowledge Mindfulness Group

“Anytime you get a chance to sit and listen to—or in this case, read—Pádraig, you should take it. Such fascinating experiences and insights. Just extraordinary.” -MICK MULVANEY, former White House chief of staff

“Pádraig Ó Céidigh is one of Ireland’s truly great entrepreneurs and leaders. Reading this incisive book, one comes away vastly better equipped to make the best decisions.” - LORD KARAN BILIMORIA...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9798891381322
PRICE US$30.00 (USD)
PAGES 224

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)

Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

Have you ever had to make a decision but couldn't arrive at one? This book will solve the problem. Rea it and reap.

Was this review helpful?

Pádraig Ó Céidigh presents a readable and practical guide to making decisions that goes beyond the raw black and white that characterizes so many approached to business. Pádraig expands on the importance of evaluating outside and not traditional methods to arrive at an holistic decision that best meets the varied demands and consequences that apply.
The benefit of seeking outside guidance from what might appear as non qualified confidants is stressed and it's merits evaluated. Likewise, seeking to achieve consensus on the process of group decision making in odder to achieve a complex strategy that has optimal buy in, is well described.
Highly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting book with a perspective to reflect, think and work on decision making strategy. The book outlines different harbour. Safe harbour (this is not your comfort zone) with the focus on what is important in your life (consider what you decide to do it not to do). Knowing yourself is truly important in understanding how and why you make certain decisions in life. This is the time to reflect on people, place, principles and purpose. There is a very good chapter devoted to biased we all have and may not even notice how the influence our decisions. Love the stories that illustrated overcoming some biases. There was an interesting concept of a funnel in deciding: clarify the information and the question. Sitting information in imaginary boxes of impression, third party, finances, competition, personal investment, etc. You will learn about anatomy of decisions and how to train your gut feeling and muchmore. Most valuable for me was the power of asking yourself questions in different situations (examples are provided). The questions do help to develop critical thinking and support your decision process in any situation.

Was this review helpful?

Pádraig Ó Céidigh's book 'The Purposeful Decision Maker' tells us how to really break down the decision-making process and in particular, five rules to follow. He incorporates his own experience in the aviation industry, to show times he didn't make good decisions and in the section on unintended consequences he shares the story of Ryanair taking the Dublin to Cork route, selling at €5 versus his €70.
His section on Robert Merton's 1936 research on unintended consequences was an unexpected pleasure of new knowledge.
All in all, a good read covering well-known areas such as bias and classic behavioural science research.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: