An amazing set of philosophies and explanations on what influences our thinking are distilled in one handy, almost pocket-sized book. TBR re-visits this mini tome to figure out how much it helps our cognitive thinking and bring out our best in those intense boardroom situations.
In fact, Dobelli outlines a stunning 99 of them in his book, each in its own short chapter. He starts off with an absolute classic. In 'Why You Should Visit Cemeteries: Survivorship Bias', he explains how the media only reports on success stories in tech but ignores the innumerable failures. This gives young would-be entrepreneurs the illusion that their start-up is destined for success. He urges people to visit cemeteries in order to appreciate that the 'survivors' are overwhelmingly outnumbered.
Other common cognitive errors he collates range from topics that we would've learnt in business school or probably read from business articles. Like 'Conclusion Bias', where readers of a research piece distort its findings out of context to suit their point-of-view. Or 'Sunk Cost Fallacy', which cautions against investing more effort into something just
because of the initial investment was a great amount. If you happen to work in procurement, or deal with salespersons, you'll remember 'Don't Accept Free Drinks: Reciprocity' very well. The title of that chapter alone speaks for itself.
However, there are great ones that make light bulbs go off upstairs, or just help you debate better with someone. In 'Swimmer's Body Illusion' Dobelli reveals the thought challenge that going to Harvard makes you smarter. People who go to Harvard are already smart it argues. In 'Contrast Effect', our Swiss author not only explains this adage, he hilariously shares a use case for men who want to find prospective dates. Ultimately, it's the insights and the sources which back his material which are convincing enough. Sometimes the simple logic being presented itself is stunning. So therein lies the benefit in this book. As one executive used to say to me "We don't know what we don't know" and reading this book is a bit of a humbling experience.
If there is any, one drawback about the book is the chapters aren't segmented into specific areas or categories for specific reference or functional application to one's possible situation. In fact, a companion app did appear in the Apple app store a while back which helped readers to filter through the 99 decision tools for the right use case. That app appears to be dead now (maybe it cannibalized his book sales) but once you get this book it'll be wise to label the chapters for what you think works for you. Also, when Dobelli tries to round off the book with his own adage - 'Why You Shouldn't Read The News' - it fails to really convince.
But at least the man is trying. In short, 'The Art Of Thinking Clearly' is our ever-green recommendation for business professionals who need just one book within arm's reach. Read a chapter or two a day and you'll be amazed at how your decision-making process can help you be more productive.
Summary
Readability: 9/10
Relevance: 9/10
Applicability: 9/10