Just before the new book Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath and Dan Heath was released this spring,  I decided I was going to pass it over.

After all, I’ve read a lot on the topic. And I don’t agonize over decision-making. (Not that I always make great decisions.  Just count the boxes of barely worn stiletto heels in my closet.)

Then I changed my mind, recognizing how much I’ve enjoyed the Heath Brothers’ other best sellers, Switch and Made to Stick. And I’m glad I did.

Compared to other decision-making books, Decisive is easy to read, entertaining and practical, probably because of the Heath Brothers’ distinctive approach.

They are masters at synthesizing complex material and presenting it in a way that you can easily apply on both a personal level and in the organization in which you work.  And as many of my clients experience,  one of their biggest challenges is making decisions, especially on the group level.

In Decisive, the brothers have done a yeoman’s job for us. They combed the literature and research on the complex subject of decision-making, analyzed the common biases that get in the way of good decision making and then created a decision-making process.

This four-step process, named WRAP, is simple yet powerful—especially when you read about the biases and some of the research.

It turns out that the process for making decisions—especially in business– is a key ingredient for successful decision-making. In fact, process outweighs analysis by a factor of six!

Whether you use the WRAP process or your own process, you also can benefit from applying the easy-to-use tools, tips and techniques the Heath Brothers describe.

For example, two of these tools, are designed to help you shift your perspective so you avoid the trap of getting caught up in short-term emotions.

With one, you look at the situation from another person’s perspective. Ask: “What  what would I advise my successor to do?” Or: “What would I tell my best friend do?”

With another, the Rule of 10/10/10 from Suzy Welch,you adjust the timeline.  Ask yourself:  “How will I feel about this decision in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years?”

These two tools are easy to use and very powerful.

However, while these tools and the process can help you overcome your biases to make big, bolder decisions, they won’t solve every problem associated with decision-making.

You also need to make sure you articulate and explain your decisions, especially when you need to involve others to help implement actions you’ve decided to take.

The Heath Brothers don’t cover this in any detail in the book, and it’s an important step.  I know because I’ve got scars to show for it.

Several years ago, I worked with a leader who made decisions on his own, but he didn’t want to take the time or energy to tell us what they were. He assumed we could read his mind and his actions. He generally made good decisions.

Figuring out this leader’s decisions though was like playing a combination of the games 20 Questions and Russian Roulette. And even if we thought we won, we still had to scramble to implement the decisions. We were always reacting, always behind.

After a couple of years of working like this, I decided not to renew my consulting assignment. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Since then, I’ve been especially committed to the concept of clarity.  I enjoy working with others to get clarity around what they’re thinking, what they’ve decided and what actions they and others need to take. This is my focal point.

What about you? How decisive are you about decision making and everything else?