Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World

By Robert Dilenschneider

Citadel Press     2020

224 pages     Self-Help

The Shortlist

Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, my husband and I are going to have a meeting to make some decisions about our lives, our careers, and our futures. First, you must know, we are 80 and 76 years old, and we have made many momentous decisions in our lives, both individually and as a couple. Many of these decisions have been about how we are going to live our lives. Some of the decisions have been good; some have been not so good. The decisions we are going to make tomorrow hopefully will have an impact on what is going to happen next.

Then, into my life came the book Decisions by Dilenschneider, a different type of self help book. In this book of short essays, Dilenschneider presents decisions made by 23 people—all people with recognizable names and recognizable life stories. From Harry Truman to Malala, each of those 23 people made decisions that shaped the course of the world’s history.

Dilenschneider tells the story of the decisions made, and then summarizes each story with a list of assertions that can be gleaned from the person’s story. For example, Harry Truman had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb. Dilenschneider suggests that one of the lessons we can take away from that fateful decision is to have the courage to make big decisions, and the conviction to carry them through. On the other hand, we should try to get as many of the facts at hand as possible. Don’t take shots in the dark.

One of the major strengths of the book is the variety of stories that are told and the variety of life lessons to be gleaned from the stories. Interestingly, many of the stories conclude that a person needs to be prepared to take full responsibility for his/her decisions and their outcomes. From Abraham Lincoln to Mohammed Ali, taking responsibility is a great lesson to be learned.

This is a valuable book. I think that it needs to be handed to people at important points in their lives. I will hand my copy on to a daughter who works as a career coach. I think she will find it useful in her work.

Robert Dilenschneider has had a storied career. His company is called the Dilenschneider Group, Inc. Decisions is the latest in a series of career-building books.