The Confidence Map
Charting a Path from Chaos to Clarity
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A groundbreaking framework for making better decisions by understanding – and mastering – confidence.
What does our desire for certainty and control have to do with our decision-making? According to behavioral economics pioneer Peter Atwater, the answer is simple: everything.
In The Confidence Map, Atwater explores the hidden role of confidence in the choices we make, and why events described as being unprecedented are often entirely predictable—if we know what to look for.
Using compelling stories from the past and present, Atwater shows readers how to apply the same tools he teaches the world’s leading institutional investors, corporations, and policymakers to help them make sense of complex situations and optimize strategy.
You will learn:
• How psychological distance consistently affects the choices we make
• Why "Me-Here-Now" decision-making is such a powerful force
• What happens at confidence peaks that leads to our downfall
• The five ways we respond to extreme vulnerability
• When consumers' feelings of certainty and control - not price - drive demand
The Confidence Map is a book about why we do what we do, where we can and cannot trust our natural instincts, and how we can make sense of a world that too often feels senseless.
Whether you’re investing in technology stocks, designing menu items for a fast-food franchise, or running an emergency room, Atwater offers an all-weather guide to avoid psychological traps, spot opportunities, and navigate the road ahead with clarity and purpose.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Confidence is key to better decision-making in the business world, contends financial consultant Atwater in his ho-hum debut. The core factors that contribute to confidence are control and certainty, according to Atwater, and he explores how understanding their influence can help readers "predict trends, generate better outcomes... and, generally speaking, make better sense of a world that too often feels chaotic." Atwater recalls witnessing lower-level employees leave companies or jockey for position within them during periods of low certainty and low control, such as corporate mergers or acquisitions, and he recommends that leaders in such circumstances boost confidence by sharing more information than they would during times of ease. He also examines situations in which certainty is high and control low or vice versa, noting that the former often takes the form of workplaces run by "authoritarian" CEOs who take little input from others. Unfortunately, his recommendation to "be more deliberative in those we pick" to work for, and quit when necessary fails to address what to do in a tight job market where options may be limited. For every useful tip there's an equally facile suggestion, and the anecdotal examples are sometimes of dubious relevance, as when he holds up Billie Eilish's wins over Taylor Swift at the 2020 Grammys as evidence of "deteriorating confidence," but it's not clear in what or whom. This promises more than it delivers.
