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.

Fearless and Free

by Wendy Sachs

American Management Association     2017

226 pages     Nonfiction

The subtitle of Wendy Sachs' excellent look at women and their careers is: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch Their Careers. In it, Sachs tells her own story of the multiple iterations of her career and encourages her women readers to be creative, resilient, and passionate about their career choices and career plans.

In story after story, Sachs shows how women create opportunities for themselves—or seize opportunities—and shine in whatever career they choose. She suggests that in today's world, opportunities abound for the determined, creative woman. She also asserts that most women will have several careers in their lifetimes, with agility being a must-have skill. She says:

"This book is for women at all stages of their professional journeys. Some may be looking for a total relaunch. Others are trying to reposition themselves to stay relevant. Still more may be looking to get back into the game after taking time off to raise kids and need the confidence and direction to take the first step." 

I kept seeing my daughters, step-daughters, and daughters-in-law in the context of the book. They are all attempting to be resilient, relevant, and challenged.  Actually, I saw myself as I figured out what career would best meld with my life as a widowed mother of three. Then, what I would do after I retired from my education career. Actually, I have made 4 different career moves in the years since I retired. 

At the same time that Sachs is telling all these wonderful and inspiring stories, she is also telling women about how to be successful in a male-dominated world. Her story about Hilary Clinton is a case in point, and it is certainly something that all the women in the country observed in this last election. The question kept coming up, "How is a woman supposed to act?" I appreciated her advice, for example, to stop apologizing all the time. Just tell it how it is.

Well, for sure, the world of women is changing rapidly, and Wendy Sachs and her book should prove inspiration for an entire new generation of women who must be agile enough to take advantage of the change as it happens.

About the Author

WENDY SACHS is the author of Fearless and Free (AMACOM; 2017) and a master of the career pivot. An Emmy-award winning TV news producer, Wendy has worked at Dateline NBC, Fox, and CNN. She also worked as a Capitol Hill press secretary, public relations executive, CNN contributor, content strategist and editor-in-chief of Care.com. In a more random role, Wendy appeared as the on-air spokesperson for Trip Advisor. A frequent speaker, Wendy has written about work/life and women’s issues for multiple publications, including The New York Times, CNN.com, the Huffington Post and Refinery29. She has appeared on dozens of radio and TV shows, including Good Morning America, NBC's Today, Fox and CNN’s Headline News. Wendy lives with her husband and two children in South Orange, New Jersey. For more information, please visit wendysachs.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

When Can You Start? How to Ace the Interview and Win the Job

by Paul Freiberger

Career Upshift Productions, 2013

229 p.      Nonfiction

The Shortlist

A young woman I know is looking for a new job and returned from an interview a few weeks ago thinking that she had done a great job selling herself to the interviewer. She didn't get the job, but before she interviews for the next job, I want her to read When Can You Start? Freiberger has filled his book with practical, to the point advice--Everything you really wanted or needed to know about how to get the job. 

I particularly liked the information in the chapter about researching the opportunity before going for the interview. He reminds people that you can never over prepare for an interview. I watched my son prepare for a big interview as a toy designer for a major toy company a few months ago. He poured over their design manuals and the company history. He wandered the aisles of a toy store making sure he was completely familiar with the company's product line. When he was flown in for the interview, he was totally prepared. I was impressed. I was also impressed that he turned the offer down because it was going to be too difficult for his wife's career.

The chapter called The Only Question You Must Be Able to Answer is probably the most important

chapter in the book. Freiberger says that in some form or other the question "Tell Me About Yourself" shows up in every interview, and answering that question correctly is crucial to getting the job. He offers all the best ways to answer that crucial question. Freiberger says, "Take charge of a job interview right away. You may only get one chance to impress so be attentive to the events leading up to the interview."

I would recommend When Can You Start? to anyone beginning the interviewing process, whether you are a recent university graduate, someone reentering the job market, or someone seeking to make a job change. 

Freiberger's website: www.paulfreiberger.com