"Yes" or "No": The Guide to Better Decisions (Paperback)

by Spencer Johnson (Author) "There was once a bright young man who was looking for a way to make good decisions--to have more success and less stress in his..." (more)
Key Phrases: better intuition, private question, other hikers, The Hike, The Map, Informing Myself of Options (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This slim self-help guide to decision-making, written in the form of a fable by a coauthor of the bestselling One Minute Manager, involves both head and heart. In it, a mythical guide leading an imaginary mountain hike explains (and participants discuss) the touted decision-making system: having chosen an initial, often wrong action, we should ask a pragmatic question of our head and a private question of the heart--"yes" or "no"--to reach and act upon a final course. This simplisitic but shrewd little book counsels the decision-maker to learn to distinguish between need and want, illusion and reality, and to trust intuition and personal beliefs while avoiding half-truths and decisions made out of fear. 275,000 first printing; $250,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Dr. Spencer Johnson has the rare ability to be interesting, provocative and succinct. My admiration is complete." -- --Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking

"Dr. Spencer Johnson has the rare ability to be interesting, provocative and succinct. My admiration is complete." -- --Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking

"This book is essential reading. You can read it on a plane ride and apply the lessons immediately." -- --Jack E. Bowsher, former Director of Education, IBM

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Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (June 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887306314
• ISBN-13: 978-0887306310
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,403 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Problem Solving, Decisions and Actions!, September 22, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

As a management consultant whose practice heavily involves helping people become better problem solvers and someone who co-authored a book about better problem solving (The 2,000 Percent Solution), I was struck that this book delivers much more than it claims (the opposite of most self-help books). Although ostensibly about decision making, the book also focuses well on how to identify solutions to important issues and how to be sure you follow through on the decisions you make about those issues.

The book is presented as a fable, in the familiar style of The One Minute Manager (which Dr. Johnson co-authored with Kenneth Blanchard). The fable revolves around a learning exercise called The Hike, which is led by 'the guide,' an outstanding businessman who guides people through the mountains and their decisions. On The Hike, the young man learns the key principles involved in making better decisions (not optimal decisions, just better ones) and gets pointers from hikers who have been on The Hike before. During The Hike, many occurrences are used to explain the key ideas, and specific case histories are described and evaluated. The key points of each chapter are summarized in notes at chapter end, and the principles are captured in a summary at the end of the book as well.

The essence of the decision-making approach here is to test potential decisions analytically (with your intellect) and emotionally (with your heart and feelings). Most people tend to favor one or the other, at the expense of making better decisions.

On the intellectual side, you are encouraged to consider whether you are meeting your real needs (rather than vague desires), getting enough information to make a good decision, and giving the whole situation a thorough evaluation.

On the emotional side, you are directed to check the truthfulness of what you are thinking, your comfort with the potential decision, whether fear is governing you, and whether you are settling for too little.

Most people I meet who are having problems with decision making are relying too much on intellect or too much on emotions. They have a hard time seeing the benefits of more balance in their approach. This book will be very helpful to such people.

Now, this book is not a heavyweight introduction into the formal disciplines of decision making encompassed in game theory and other tools. If you are interested in learning more about those methods, you would do well to read this book and then graduate to the techniques in Smart Choices, which I have also reviewed.

In addition to what you will learn from these two books, I would also like to encourage you to study examples of people who have made great decisions in the same area, and consider analogies of perfect solutions from other areas of human endeavor. Those can stimulate improved options in your thinking that will allow you to make even better decisions.

Allocate a half hour a day to working on important decisions you are giving short shrift. This will allow you to improve enormously in the future. Decide to do this, and act now by ordering this book!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars read this first - before all the other great self help books, December 26, 1999

By	Dr Tracy Kennedy-Shanks (toowoomba, Australia) - See all my reviews

This was a wonderful book that helped me put all the other self help books into practice. It helped me to make the decisions so that I could then set the goals to improve my life. It was simple to read and even gives a "shortcut card" to keep handy.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential method for clarity in every area of life!, September 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: "Yes" or "No": The Guide to Better Decisions (Hardcover)

I read over 50 books per year, as a professional speaker I am always on the look out for new ideas. After the Bible, I believe Yes or No to be in the top 5 of all the books I have ever read. Brilliant in its simplicity, brevity, style, and content. The audio version is stunning. GET IT