Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work

by Chip Heath

Teenagers get trapped in a narrow frame. They are blind to their choices. “Should I go to the party or not?” 2. Unfortunately, most organizations tend to make decisions like teenagers. • Quaker lost $1.5 billion in three years on the Snapple acquisition. • Nutt research: Only 29% of organizations considered more than one alternative (versus 30% of teens). 3. Often our options are far more plentiful than we think. • College-selection counselor Price helps students explore their full range of options. 4. Why do we get stuck in a narrow frame? Focusing on our current options means that other things are out of our spotlight. • Frederick got stuck choosing between two stereos—he failed to consider his other options. 5. How do we escape a narrow frame? Think about opportunity cost. • Keep the $14.99 for other purchases. • Eisenhower: One bomber = a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. 6. Or try the Vanishing Options Test: What if your current options disappeared? • Margaret Sanders realized she had a better option than firing Anna, the introverted receptionist. • When our options “disappear,” we’re forced to move our spotlights. 7. It’s easier to spot a narrow frame from the outside—watch for it as a decision adviser. “Whether or not” decisions should set off warning bells.