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Problem Solved: A Powerful System for Making Complex Decisions with Confidence and Conviction Paperback – April 17, 2017

by Cheryl Strauss Einhorn (Author), Tony Blair (Foreword)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 69 ratings
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*International Book Awards Finalist

It can be messy and overwhelming to figure out how to solve thorny problems. Where do you start? How do you know where to look for information and evaluate its quality and bias? How can you feel confident that you are making a careful and thoroughly researched decision?

Whether you are deciding between colleges, navigating a career decision, helping your aging parents find the right housing, or expanding your business, Problem Solved will show you how to use the powerful AREA Method to make complex personal and professional decisions with confidence and conviction.

Cheryl's AREA Method coaches you to make smarter, better decisions because it:

  • Recognizes that research is a fundamental part of decision making and breaks down the process into a series of easy-to-follow steps.
  • Solves for problematic mental shortcuts such as bias, judgment, and assumptions.
  • Builds in strategic stops that help you chunk your learning, stay focused, and make your work work for you.
  • Provides a flexible and repeatable process that acts as a feedback loop.

Life is filled with uncertainty, but that uncertainty needn't hobble us. Problem Solved offers a proactive way to work with, and work through, ambiguity to make thoughtful, confident decisions despite our uncertain and volatile world.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Weiser
  4. Publication date
    April 17, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 8.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    163265086X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1632650863
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Cheryl Einhorn has given us a practical book providing a wealth of useful lessons for making complex decisions of almost any kind. It breaks down everything from where to look for data and insights to how to make sure you don’t see only what you want to see. This is a book that can be useful for everyone.” -- Atul Gawande, best-selling author of The Checklist Manifesto and Being Mortal

“Impressively well written, exceptionally well organized, and informatively presented, Problem Solved: A Powerful System for Making Complex Decisions with Confidence and Conviction is an effective and practical life-enhancing read from cover to cover.” ― Midwest Book Review

“Human beings are surprisingly bad at making decisions in complex modern environments. For most of us, therefore, a well-conceived, disciplined decision process is essential. Problem Solved clearly and effectively presents one of the best such processes available. It is invaluable.” -- Bruce Greenwald, best-selling author, Value Investing and Robert Heilbrunn Professorship of Finance and Asset Management, Columbia Business School

“This excellent book shows how the science of decision-making can be applied and therefore the outcome made better.” —Tony Blair, former UK Prime Minister -- Tony Blair

“Effective problem solving in our daily lives requires orderly thinking. Cheryl Einhorn shows us a way to do it in a short, clearly written book. Her lessons are organized around case studies that are free of jargon and to the point. In fact, her case studies are short novels that draw the reader into the dilemmas her characters face. They provide wonderful illustrations of how to go about making difficult decisions. Her book is a ‘must read’ those of us facing major decisions about our personal and professional futures.” —John Campbell, former United States Ambassador to Nigeria and currently the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations -- John Campbell

About the Author


Cheryl Strauss Einhorn an award-winning investigative journalist, covers business, economic, and financial news for publications including Barron's, Pro Publica, Foreign Policy, and the New York Times. As the founder of CSE Consulting, a strategic consulting practice, she applies her AREA Method--initially developed to promote better decision-making in her journalism work--toward the success of businesses and individuals. A Columbia University adjunct professor, she teaches her AREA Method at Columbia Business School, having also taught it at the Graduate School of Journalism. To learn more about Einhorn, please visit areamethod.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weiser; First Edition (April 17, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 163265086X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1632650863
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 8.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

About the author

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Cheryl Strauss Einhorn

Cheryl Strauss Einhorn

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Cheryl Strauss Einhorn is the creator of the AREA Method, a decision-making system for individuals, companies, and nonprofits to solve complex problems. Cheryl is the founder of the decision-sciences company Decisive, offering leadership training, curriculum, coaching, and professional development services, and is an adjunct professor at Cornell University. She is the author of the award-winning books Problem Solved about personal and professional decision-making and Investing in Financial Research about financial and investment decisions. For more information check out Cheryl's TED talk and visit areamethod.com.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
69 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

shelly kopchia
5.0 out of 5 stars This was an interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023
Verified Purchase
Careful not to walk up to that one way door.

I found this book to be very Informative.

Thank you
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MiamiCrimson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Whether in business or in life, there are a handful of pivotal decisions that have dramatic and disproportionate impact. For these moments, its essential that we invest the incremental time and resources to make the best possible decision, particularly given the increasingly volatile and uncertain times we live in. Unfortunately, few of us have been taught on how to perform the requisite foundational research effectively. The book introduces the AREA method framework, which provides specific, tactical steps that you can repeatedly follow, with the ultimate goal of making better decisions. It places particular emphasis on compiling information from various perspectives, while taking into account the underlying incentives and biases of each source. Moreover, it is designed to minimize some of our own cognitive biases. I applied the AREA method to a strategic challenge and found its structured process to be extremely relevant, helping me come to a better decision.
9 people found this helpful
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Artist and Fashion designer
4.0 out of 5 stars adaptable to anyones life
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2019
ur life comes down to our decisions. These days it’s so important to develop that muscle that helps us make decisions. We are faced with so many question marks, every day more and more: to post this post? To take this job?

Cheryl Eihorns book was very essential in guiding me how to reassess how I approach new topics. I learned how important it is to do some ‘investigation’ on my own before making decisions and how to think of things more practically, as opposed to my own spontaneous nature, being an Adventurer.

She has an AREA method and gives specific examples, however, everyone can really take what they want from this book and make it theirs.

Enjoy!
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Denver D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Time to Stop Winging It and Time to Get A System That Works for Your Decisions Making
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2017
Verified Purchase
I got so much out of this book! It reminded me of two things. I remember taking the Xerox Sales Course in the early 1980's. It provided with a framework and system for all the sales calls I made for the next decade. Reliable. Repeatable. Provided both rhyme and reason for all my sales calls. This is exactly what Problem Solved does for your Decision Making. A thoughtful process and system to follow. And one that intelligently accounts for the biases that we invariably bring to each and every decision. Also thought of Checklist Manifesto. We may believe that our seat of the pants, going with our gut system is all we need. It isn't. But this is. Do yourself a favor and read Problem Solved. Author Cheryl Einhorn has made incredibly accessible.
6 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Decision making is a skill. Like skateboarding, it takes some practice, and a good teacher. Read this book to learn how.
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
Clear, compelling approach to data gathering and analysis that results in a well made decision. The book describes the process and provides examples of how the method is useful to make high stakes decisions. The process starts with a statement of the problem, identifies and categorizes information about the target, and forces the decision maker to take a 'cheetah pause' - step back to identify biases in data gathering, before proceeding to the next phase. Learning how to apply these steps makes the process of decision making a skill that can be learned and readily applied. The skill is equally applicable to investing, selecting a project for medical research and identifying a neighborhood for purchasing a house,
14 people found this helpful
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Sue Lehmann
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and Engaging Approach to Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2019
Verified Purchase
Cheryl Einhorn has boiled down her vast experience in problem-solving to create a useful guide to thinking through problems and making decisions, whether personal or professional. We used the Area Method to help a network of leaders prioritize the types of data they would collect together. Working in small groups of seven people, the participants got to know one another, shared thoughts around a galvanizing question and came to understand each others' organizational priorities. A working group will define next steps. Problem-Solved helped us create an engaging and thought-provoking experience that will move our network forward.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Too abstract to be actionable in all situations
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book provides a high-level process of forming a hypothesis about an option in decision making, testing that hypothesis against available resources and reaffirming knowledge via primary interviews. The majority of the book describes abstract information gathering with occasional dips into tactical clarification. If you are looking for a process of information gathering and analysis through specific frameworks, this is not it. If you are looking for a general overview of how to prioritize information in decision making, this is closer. A potential key takeaway from this book is that all decision-making processes will vary at some point, but generally, it's best to begin focused with narrowed resources and work your way out to avoid initial bias or information overload. This book could have benefitted from more time spent framing problems as many of us make decisions without ever being aware of our options or how to frame them as such - we don't even realize we are evaluating choices.
44 people found this helpful
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Kristen Hadeed
5.0 out of 5 stars I feel more confident navigating the gray area
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
I am a big fan of Cheryl’s work and I absolutely loved this book. My favorite line is on page 41, “The unifying theme of these decisions is that they are issues that are important enough to merit a research process and difficult enough to benefit from one.” Cheryl provides a system for making really tough, important decisions. Not only will I use this process myself, but I will have everyone in my company read this book so that they too can be exposed to the AREA method. Thank you, Cheryl!
3 people found this helpful
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