Creative Decision Making Using Positive Uncertainty: Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Decision Making Made Easier
Review: As a career coach working in an internal career development center of a large corporation, I deal with a diverse cross section of the employee population. A common thread, however, seems to be uncertainty about career goals, ranging from questions regarding skill development to more complex issues on structuring a radical career change. Of the many resources I utilize, Creative Decision Making Using Positive Uncertainty stands out as one of the most helpful in clarifying issues and illuminating options. Without exception, everyone who has used the creative processes in this book has praised its effectiveness in facilitating decision making and changing the fear of risk into the pursuit of opportunity. It is a welcome and valuable addition to our career center library.

Rating:
Summary: Making difficult decisions during times of change
Review: I am nearing the end of a major life transition. During this time I have used the principles of positive uncertainty to guide my thoughts, plans, and reactions to change. My life changes involved my significant other's transition from medical school to residency, the uncertainty of where we would be living, my job situation (as our main provider), and what the new schedule of resident life would mean for my husband and me. I utilized the four parts of knowledge to help de-mystify this new phase. Instead of worrying about what might "happen" to us, I was able to determine our desirable outcomes and proactively approach the time with a realistic understanding of the future. Creative Decision Making Using Positive Uncertainty has also reminded me that I am in control of my own reality and by thinking through the unknown in a planful manner, I can determine my own behaviors and attitude as I walk into times of change.

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Summary: Positive Uncertainty Opens Doors to New Opportunities
Review: Several years ago, I was laid off from my job and very perplexed about what direction to take. Someone suggested I read Creative Decision Making Using Positive Uncertainty, an extremely thought provoking book which proved to be a guiding framework that helped me make some critical career decisions. While I initially felt handicapped by the uncertainty in my life, the realistic anecdotes and open ended questions reframed the uncertainty into active anticipation. They prompted me to focus on the many positive outcomes and opportunities the future might hold and to envision new career choices with the glass half full instead of half empty. With this broadened perspective, I ended up finding a job that I had never even imagined possible.

This rationale and intuitive approach to decision making has been an enormously supportive resource on several occasions. Most recently, I recommended the book to my husband while he contemplates a significant career shift in a time of major life change with a new baby in our family. As we both analyze the impact a job change will have on our personal lives, we are using Positive Uncertainty to help identify options, assess risks and ultimately, make the best decision.