Making Difficult Decisions: How to be decisive and get the business done

You are faced with so many difficult decisions. Often your decision making seems random. It can be swayed by different situations and emotions. You need to be more rigorous in the way you make decisions and yet you have very little time to do so. Experience from others who have made tough decisions and a framework to help you do so would be invaluable.


The courage to make decisions is sometimes a bit elusive. It is difficult to find the calmness to be able to make and live with those decisions. There is so much that can be learned from the experience of others. After working through this book you will have the courage of your convictions and the ability to make difficult decisions count.


The book sets out a framework for making difficult decisions that has been tried and tested. It has been used successfully in one-to-one coaching with senior leaders in both the public, private and voluntary sectors. The framework is built on the following strands: Clarity; Conviction; Courage; and Communication.

Peter Shaw is a founding Partner of the leading coaching firm praesta Partners and is an experienced business coach working with senior leaders in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Peter's clients enjoy frank, challenging conversations leading to fresh thinking and new insights. He is often coaching at the interface of the public and private sectors, and working with Chief Executives and Board members taking on new roles and leading major organisational change. Peter is frequently working with individuals who are making difficult decisions enabling them to look at decisions from a range of different perspectives.
Prior to becoming a coach Peter held three Director general posts and worked in five different Government Departments, treasury, Education, Employment, Environment and Transport. he has written a sequence of influential leadership books including, The 4 Vs of Leadership: Vision, Values, Value-added and Vitality, Finding your Future: The Second Time Around and Conversations Matters: How to Engage Effectively With One Another.
He co-authored with Robin Linnecar, Business Coaching: Achieving Practical Results Through effective Engagement and has written a range of influential articles. Peter was formerly a Visiting Professor at Durham University. he regularly leads workshops on leadership issues based around the themes of his books.