Book Summary | Sources of Power (1998)

Source of Power by ​Gary A. Klein (1998)

What is it about? In the book Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions (1998), Dr. Gary Klein, a cognitive psychologist, explains how people make decisions.

Why bother? Understanding the decision-making process impacts both professional and personal life. 

Key Ideas  Klein explains three main ideas:

• People sometimes don't make decisions based on rational thinking. 
• Intuitive decision-making can be trained. 
• The decision is based on comparing the possible options. ​​We choose a satisfying answer based on our past experience, run the action script in our minds, and then decide on the solution to achieve the result. This is called the Recognition-Primed-Decision (RPD) Making Model.

The source of power means that we can decide to resolve problems impacted by previous experiences, time pressure, high stakes, personal responsibilities, and shifting conditions. 

​Favorite Quotes

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"A good plan, executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week." - General George S. Patton, Jr.