Visionaries

We make decisions all the time, often without much thought. But some of them have the power to change the course of our lives and even that of society. Visionaries offer us the tools to put our options into perspective and make decisions without being caught off guard by failures and unforeseen events.

Difficult choices can keep us up at night: they require time to mature, and their impact is often enormous.

Charles Darwin once faced the dilemma of whether or not to marry his partner. In the first major battle of the American Revolution, Commander George Washington had to choose between following his initial military strategy or diverting his troops to an attack that could have been a red herring. In the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the CIA, upon discovering a possible enemy hideout, had to develop dozens of ideas and plans before military action. How did they arrive at their decision? Did it prove to be the right one? What lessons can we learn from these (and many other) examples?

In Visionaries , bestselling author Steven Johnson teaches us how to hone the indispensable skill of making complex decisions. He believes three fundamental competencies separate people driven solely by their instincts from experienced decision-makers:

• map all the variables involved in a choice and all possible action plans;
• predict feasible results;
• based on the analysis and predictions made and the objectives established, then make a choice.

But Johnson isn't interested in providing a magic formula for every complex decision. His goal is much more to help break through narrow thinking and promote a multifaceted approach to the big issues that affect us as individuals and as a society.

Drawing on lessons from cognitive science, social psychology, world history, military intelligence, environmental planning, and great works of literature, Visionaries is the key to developing foresight and strategic thinking.

“Fascinating… As a perspective thinker with a flair for storytelling, Johnson is the right author to tackle the topic.” — Adam Grant, bestselling author of Originals and Think Again , for The New York Times Book Review

“Johnson’s focus is on real-life decisions that, in an ideal world, undergo serious deliberation… He reminds us that, essentially, every choice involves a contest of narratives, and we’re likely to make better choices if we have richer stories, more developed characters, a more thoughtful understanding of motives, and a deeper insight into how decisions are likely to play out.” — The Wall Street Journal

“Johnson is the right person to explore the dilemmas of decision-making, offering examples ranging from 17th-century urban planning to contemporary artificial intelligence.” — Financial Times

“Steven Johnson is a great author in the scientific field.” — Bill Clinton