How Leaders Decide
Inspiration, Insights and Wisdom from History’s Biggest Moments
Greg Bustin
“Guiding you through fifty-two dramatic historical events and decisions that changed the course of our world, How Leaders Decide challenges decision-makers with provocative ideas and leadership lessons that will propel your business forward. Greg Bustin’s well-researched and inspiring stories of high-stakes turning points in history and the leaders that made the final call will help you make sure your next decision is the one that changes everything.”
This book was not what I expected and not in a good way. I thought I was picking up something about how leaders make decisions, but instead it turned out to be a bunch of short stories that had nothing to do with ‘how’ to make decisions.
I’m actually fine with short story collections but these just didn’t work. They felt random, irrelevant, and way off the mark from what the title promised. Most of them were old historical tales, some going back to the Roman Empire, which made the whole thing feel more like a history book than something useful for leaders today.
I gave it a fair shot. I read quite a few of the stories properly, skipped around to a few others, but honestly they were all pretty bad. The Titanic one was somewhat interesting, though it mostly made me think, “Wow, people really can be idiots.” Not exactly the inspiring leadership takeaway I was hoping for.
The book expected you to read one chapter per week, like a slow-burn learning journey. But most leaders looking for a book on decision-making want to dive in, pull out practical ideas, and start applying them. This book gives you none of that. There’s no clear advice, no “how-to,” no insights to implement.
I didn’t finish it. 1 star. Wouldn’t recommend it. Don’t waste your time.
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I came into this book with high expectations and maybe that’s exactly why it left me so disappointed. The premise is actually quite appealing. The idea of a connections manager is something I genuinely resonate with (probably because I already see myself as one, haha). But sadly, the delivery didn’t live up to its potential.
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