While many of the ideas in this book were gleaned from other recent books (and credited), the author also travelled the world researching ideas and examples, which he presents in very readable fashion. ( )

Following on from his excellent In Praise of Slow, this is Honoré's look at practical ways to achieve by thinking about a problem first.

His theory is that by rushing into solving a problem then you are not considering the full implications of your decisions and actions, and that by taking time and effort to get it right you only need to do it once. He does accept that quick fixes are sometime necessary; to get a car running again to get home, but proper consideration on a problem will lead to long term benefits.

The book is stuffed full of examples and case studies and he picks examples from other titles that I have read, such as The Wisdom of Crowds, Blink and Good to Great. Al lot of what he says is very true; the churn of stocks and share has no benefit to society or companies, as the long term investments made by Warren Buffet prove. The examples of the way that the RAF looks at pilot error and other mistake make all the flying by them safer, and looks at the check list now used by surgeons the world over to minimise errors.

Overall it is not a bad read, but not as ground breaking as his first book. ( )

I received this book as a goodreads first read giveaway. It is an excellent book. It is well written, informative and fun to read. The stories he tells about various problems and how they were fixed was fascinating and fun to read. They all supported the step in the book well. This is a very intelligent and well thought out approach to problem solving. It should be a must read for all those who are in a position to change cultures within companies. ( )

In this speed-obsessed, quick-fix world, it has become almost normal to expend the minimum amount of effort, in business and in life. But that approach is never quick, and usually makes things worse.

If you make a mistake, admit it. Don't try to blame someone else. If you are the boss, don't treat that mistake as a disaster that requires that someone be fired. Instead, treat it as an opportunity to take a very close look at your entire process. It may seem preferable to worry only about immediate problems. Is that really better, and cheaper, than going through every bit of your business, top to bottom, to make sure everything is working properly?

An underlying, fundamental problem rarely has just one cause. Try linking the various pieces of that fundamental problem. Don't focus just on today; look at tomorrow, too. Will fixing Problem X now lead to other big problems next month, or next year?

Naturally, the devil is in the details. Be willing to see things in a new light. Preparation ahead of time, being ready for anything, will help keep problems from rearing their ugly heads. Don't be afraid to collaborate, especially with someone who has a different field of expertise. A different set of eyes may be just what is needed to solve your problem. There are times when crowdsourcing is the best place to go for an answer to your problem. Don't underestimate the power of games to solve problems.

Meant more for groups than individuals, this is an excellent book. It is very thought-provoking, and is recommended for everyone. ( )

I took my time reading this, not just to make a pun, but also because there are many, many lessons and/or good points in this book I wanted to sit with for a bit before moving on. Which was beneficial, because the author continually refers back to earlier chapters as examples of how the many wise suggestions work together. All of these changes are meant to effect whole neighborhoods, communities, cities, states, countries and the world. Nowhere in this book does he say that any of this is easy. It all requires a great deal of passion, patience, fortitude and belief in what you are doing to make the kind of societal changes that are discussed in this book. A slow fix requires time, energy and commitment and well as a whole lot of planning and very careful thought. It isn't for the faint of heart, but for those who truly believe in changing things for the better, this book will help fire you up and get you pointed in the right direction. Every journey starts with a single step--perhaps this book can be just that. ( )