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Decision Sprint
Book

Decision Sprint

The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action

McGraw-Hill, 2023 more...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Comprehensive
  • Analytical
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Donald H. Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush’s defense secretary, popularized the concept of “unknown unknowns”: risks you can’t anticipate because they are rooted in things that you don’t know that you don’t know. In this exploration of smart decision-making, Silicon Valley innovator Atif Rafiq expands on Rumsfeld’s concept. Business leaders must accept that they don’t know everything, he explains, urging them to work proactively to discover unknowns and turn them into knowns by using his “Decision Sprint” system – a process designed to help leaders avoid the pitfalls that derail innovative projects.  

Take-Aways

  • Organizations often lack effective systems for dealing with “unknowns.”
  • The “Decision Sprint” approach calls for System-2 thinking.
  • Upstream decisions determine whether a project or initiative’s execution will go smoothly. 

About the Author

Silicon Valley innovator Atif Rafiq held chief executive positions at McDonald’s, Volvo and MGM Resorts and filled executive roles in other corporations. A P&L expert and frequent public speaker, he founded the software app Ritual and serves on several boards of directors.


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