LABYRINTH

Pawel's book, Labyrinth: The Art of Decision-Making, was published in Polish in 2015 and became Harvard Business Review Poland all-time bestseller in just 4 weeks. The book won many prestigious awards in Poland.

Through great storytelling, a leadership expert uses fascinating real-life case studies such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Apollo 13 rescue mission to illustrate the key paths to good decision-making -- in business and in life.

We live in rapidly changing times, and only those who are willing and able to adapt to those changes will not only survive but actually thrive. That means being prepared to recognize and change how we make decisions. In Labyrinth, author Pawel Motyl draws on twenty-plus years of business experience and rigorous research to present an in-depth analysis of the processes we use for making decisions in both everyday contexts and crisis situations that will ultimately guide readers to make conscious, proactive decisions rather than just reacting to events and circumstances, or relying on tried and tested methods that may no longer be relevant in a particular circumstance.

In this engaging narrative, Motyl showcases his fifteen rules for effective decision-making and explains different types of decision-making processes and the most appropriate circumstances in which to use—or avoid—each of them. Illustrated with a series of case studies as diverse as the Cuban missile crisis, the Apollo 13 rescue mission, and the ill-fated Daimler-Chrysler merger, he identifies the strengths and weaknesses of decisions made at various points in the process— and the innovative approaches behind many solutions to apparently insurmountable problems. While many of his examples are drawn from “black swan” situations, the learnings from this book are equally applicable to less dramatic scenarios. Whether you apply the lessons in Labyrinth to work or your personal life, you'll come away from this book enlightened and inspired to reassess your approach to decision-making.


Pawel Motyl is one of the leading European experts in leadership, decision-making, talent management and exponential technologies; his professional career combines experience in management consulting, coaching and CEO roles. In October 2016, he was selected from over 16,000 candidates for the elite global group of Marshall Goldsmith's "100 Coaches" initiative, alongside people such as Dr. Jim Kim, President of the World Bank, Rob Nail, CEO of Singularity University, Alan Mulally, former president of the Ford Motor Corporation, Aicha Evans, Vice President of Intel Corporation, David Peterson, head of coaching at Google, and Clark Callahan from Harvard Business School.