Praise

Praise for Making Great Decisions

This brilliantly written book is a stimulating, fun read filled with great stories and examples. It has practical applications for business people, and yet is written for everyone. If my predecessors at the companies I turned around had read and understood this book, their companies wouldn’t have needed me.  I wish I had had this book when I taught decision analysis at Harvard. It would make a great supplementary text for virtually any course I teach.  It is, simply, a great book.

John O. Whitney, Columbia Business School, Professor Emeritus of Professional Practice. Codirector, W. Edwards Deming Center

Author of:
  • Taking Charge: Management Guide to Troubled Companies and Turnarounds
  • The Economics of Trust: Liberating Profits and Restoring Corporate Vitality
  • Power Plays: Shakespeare’s Lessons in Leadership and Management

Henderson’s and Hooper’s Making Great Decisions flows like butter.  It teaches you how to think like an economist. The results may surprise or even jolt you, as you discover all the mistakes you’ve been making and how to correct them.

Barry Nalebuff, Milton Steinbach Professor, Yale School of Management. Coauthor of Why Not?

We really enjoyed reading Making Great Decisions. The lessons that accompany the many delightful stories made us realize the underlying logical basis for what we’ve been doing successfully by intuition. This sensational book is like a jungle gym for the brain.

Dr. George Rosenkranz, founding chairman of Syntex Corporation and co-discoverer of norethindrone, the synthetic hormone that made oral contraceptives possible. Author of six books on bridge playing and strategy.

Dr. Roberto Rosenkranz, founding chairman and CEO of Roxro Pharma LLC.


This engagingly written book does just what it promises: It gets you to think, and think more carefully, about the practical decisions in your life.

Virginia Postrel, author of The Substance of Style and The Future and Its Enemies


David Henderson and Charley Hooper help the reader understand the power of decision analysis techniques through the use of practical examples—translating theory into practices we can employ in our daily lives. Unlike many business books that state a single concept and beat it to death, Making Great Decisions builds one useful tool on top of another. The result: a uniquely entertaining and informative experience for the reader.

Gayle Mills, Vice President, Business Development, Abgenix, Inc.


If you think economics is only for bookworms and whiz kids, think again. As Henderson and Hooper show, with story after colorful story, economic reasoning can help you understand everyday life – and improve the quality of your own life as well.

James C. Miller III, Chairman, CapAnalysis Group and former Director, Office of Management and Budget


What could be more relevant to our humanity than learning to think more effectively?  Henderson and Hooper take you on a delightful tour, showing how you can make better decisions.  This book introduces readers to the sophisticated field of decision analysis used by savvy business people for years, but without the obstacle of heavy mathematics.

Sam W. Tagart, Jr., Retired, Project Manager, Electric Power Research Institute


Henderson and Hooper not only explain decision making and risk management clearly, but also connect it with everyday life. Making Great Decisions is a mix of insights and controversy that will guarantee interesting reading.

Dan Spiegelman, Sr. Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, CV Therapeutics, Inc.