How Leaders Decide: Tackling Biases and Risks in Decision-making by Harjeet Khanduja – Book Review

You must have read many books that discuss decision-making, the advantages of being decisive in life, the styles of decision-making, how good decisions can shape your life in a good way and vice-versa, and so many things about decision making. However, one thing that’s common in most of the books in this category is that the author is way too disconnected from the audience or the barrier to effective communication because the author is from a different background and tries to cover aspects of an entirely different background. Well, if you are an aspiring business leader of tomorrow or already heading a team of a few aspiring young minds, there is a book that can certainly help you with your decision-making that directly affects your team and the organisation, eventually. Harjeet Khanduja is a well-known voice in the corporate sector and he has worked for leading companies in the telecom sector. He is currently associated with Reliance Jio as the vice president of HR. His book How Leaders Decide: Tackling Biases and Risks in Decision-making is impressive, impactful and convenient to read and learn from it. In this article, I will review the same for you.

The book in brief:

The book has five parts and each part contains 5 chapters. The parts are prepared in a progressive way and a reader will have it in a very well-ordered sequence if he or she decides to read the book from the beginning to the end. If someone starts to read it from a random page to some random length, the book might not yield the same benefit. It is a fact. Cold fact. If you want to take advantage of this book, the author’s expertise and some really well-done research, please read the book from the first page to the last.

First of all, the author introduces the readers to the process of organisational decision-making and then tells you how is it different from the personal decisions that we make every day. And then, the author introduces the readers to many different styles of decision-making, organizational philosophies, teams and team decisions, biases that corrupt the decision-making prowess, dynamic decisions, multi-dimensional decisions and single-dimensional decisions and many other things. The book brings the readers to the final stage of decision-making, and execution, in the final part.

Chapter Structure: 

Like any standard, well-written, and useful book, the book follows a certain pattern when it comes to the chapters. Any chapter in the book opens with a quote that sums up the need. It is followed by an extensively apt description of the subject of that chapter or the introduction in other words. The introduction is followed by the aspects of the subject matter, pros and cons, examples in between, kinds and ramifications (if essential and applied), and then a section comes, ‘Finally’, which summarises the knowledge discussed in the chapter. In the end, one line with a colour background sums up the need for the idea being discussed in short (really short). And you will find the list of references under the heading Notes.

Is it good? I will say yes if the book is being read by someone who knows why is he or she reading the book. However, if someone who is entirely new to the subject starts reading the book, this strict format of the chapter might bring an otherwise impression and deter the reader from pursuing the book to the end, chapter by chapter. For the target audience, employees of the front line, executives, CEOs, team leaders and others, this will serve better than the best!

USPs of the book:

• Unlike many books in the corporate self-help genre, Harjeet Khanduja’s How Leaders Decide: Tackling Biases and Risks in Decision-making begins with an idea, introduces it to the readers, weighs its aspects and perspectives in detail, determines the barriers and problems that might come in the way, shows how to tackle the problems discussed, and then concludes in a very impactful way. Many books fail to do so in a professional and just manner with the theme of the book. Harjeet has done it impressively.
• The Ebook, as well as the paperback version, both the books, are printed in a really impressive way. Highlights, key parts, pointers, quotes, examples and other important details will be easily noticeable. This is very important when it comes to books of such kind.
• The content comes from the rich personal and professional experience that the author has gathered in his long, illustrious and still continuing journey.
• Appreciable endorsements from the leaders of the corporate sector in India, including a foreword by Harsh Goenka boost justify the importance of content that’s based on scientific evaluation of various sources of information and the author’s personal expertise.

Get it or not?

An MBA student, an entrepreneur, an aspiring businessman, a team leader, an active team player, a chairman, a small company leader, or anyone who manages a team in any capacity should read the book. Are you one of the above? Get a copy and read it asap!

Buy the book from Amazon India – click here to get it now

Review by Amar M for Active Reader Book Blog