Blunder

Gifted statesmen, reputed business leaders, and respected physicians, etc. - all regularly commit errors when making decisions, which can sometimes seem like incredible blunders when viewed from the outside. Blunder analyzes these decision-making “snafus,” which the author attributes to several cognitive traps set by the mental models from which we all suffer, regardless of our experience or intelligence.
Among these, there is the fear of appearing weak, which drives us to make disproportionate decisions, the tendency to misunderstand the causes of complex events or to withhold information, and the natural inertia that results from the subconscious desire to maintain the status quo. Each of these traps is covered in a separate chapter illustrated with many historical examples and anecdotes, drawn from ancient history as well as the contemporary world - the Iraq war being a perfect example of the destruction that can result when these traps are combined.
Although there is a regrettable lack of examples from the business world, as well as a repetitive and slow pace at times, the author effectively manages to alert readers to the importance of identifying and watching out for these cognitive biases.
That being said, this very agreeable book spends more time pointing out the fundamental issue than providing practical advice to solve the problems identified.