In this book, the authors redefine the essence of leadership as the ability to make consistently good judgments, especially when the stakes are high, information is limited, and the right call is far from obvious. Leaders add most of their value by the quality of their judgments; every other aspect of leadership is secondary.

Judgment clarifies an important concept that is often misunderstood. Many assume that good judgment is an inborn trait, but Tichy and Bennis show that it’s actually a skill that can be developed, refined, and nurtured through an organization. The judgment process unfolds in three phases:
- Before the call-how do you frame the problem?
- Making the call-how do you decide which route to take?
- Executing the call-how do you make sure everyone supports the decision and follows through?

The authors apply this model to many kinds of judgments, involving people (hiring, firing, promoting); strategy (mergers, new products); and crisis management (ethical dilemmas, business failures). They illustrate their lessons with stories from major companies that have thrived or suffered because of the judgment of senior management.(www.barnersandnoble.com)