Official Review: Making Big Decisions Better by Tim Lewko

[Cecilia_L]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Making Big Decisions Better" by Tim Lewko.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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As a CEO with 17 years of experience, Tim Lewko shares his consulting expertise in the definitive guide, Making Big Decisions Better: How to Set and Simplify Business Strategy. Lewko describes his strategy as a process; "teach others to fish," as opposed to the prescriptive "fish for them" approach. He acknowledges that business strategy is often misunderstood and has become too complex and "event-driven." Lewko stresses the importance of establishing a common definition when it comes to business strategy and recommends a visible process that drives a decision-making approach. He shares several misconceptions and cautions against outsourcing, "Don't bypass sweat equity." Drawing from examples of proven success, Lewko equips leaders and organizations with tools to effectively increase profit while simplifying the process.

Lewko explains his decision-making process in terms of fixing, building, and using effective business strategy; the book is divided accordingly into three sections. The organized content is further reinforced by an assortment of detailed charts and tables that illustrate Lewko's models of simplified business strategy.

I particularly like Lewko's consistent inclusion of introductory and recap sections at the beginning and end of each chapter. Respectively titled "After 5 pm" and "What Now," these boxed segments provide helpful highlights at a glance. I also appreciate Lewko's "teach others to fish" approach and his insight regarding in-house collaboration to solve issues rather than outsourcing to find solutions. One doesn't need to be the CEO of a business to realize that implementing his resources and ideas will generate cohesiveness and promote a spirit of teamwork.

While there isn't anything I dislike about the book's content, it does need another round of editing. The punctuation is inconsistent and includes multiple instances of missing periods and incorrectly capitalized words. Also, the additional figures and tables contents at the beginning of the book would be more visually appealing and user-friendly as appendixes at the end. Abbreviations like PMC, TDG, and AFC are later defined in the chapters, but their current placement is somewhat confusing and overwhelming.

For all of the above reasons, I rate Making Big Decisions Better 3 out of 4 stars. Although the editing needs a bit of polishing, overall, Lewko presents an organized and informative guide that can be utilized as a quick reference or to spark more in-depth discussions. It will appeal to business leaders, managers, and anyone interested in simplifying strategy. Additionally, the book contains no profanity.

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Making Big Decisions Better
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[mmm17]

I enjoy learning about other people's decision-making strategies. A seasoned executive seems to be an interesting source of advice. Thanks for a great review!

[Nikolas Farmakis]

Your review is great! You have beautifully combined your opinion with the summary of the book. Well done!

[Bianka Walter]

Business books are lost on me. I am completely un-business-minded. But, as always, I loved your review
Thanks, Cecilia!

[Cecilia_L]

I enjoy learning about other people's decision-making strategies. A seasoned executive seems to be an interesting source of advice. Thanks for a great review!

I agree. Thanks for your comment.

[Cecilia_L]

Your review is great! You have beautifully combined your opinion with the summary of the book. Well done!

Thank you, Nickolas.

[Cecilia_L]

Business books are lost on me. I am completely un-business-minded. But, as always, I loved your review
Thanks, Cecilia!

Thanks for the kind thoughts, Bianka!

[kdstrack]

I am a big fan of "Teaching others to fish." This is a principal that works in numerous situations. I like this author's approach to business. I, also, enjoyed your stimulating review.

[Nkoo]

This book looks like a good and informative resource for business owners and aspiring ones. Thanks for a refreshing review.

[Nisha Ward]

I am so not the audience for this but your review is great and it sounds like quite an insightful book.