Sometimes there’s a article that’s both current and essential reading for leaders. If the heart of leadership, as we’ve often argued, is mobilizing people around decisions–it’s vital we look at examples of decision processes that lead to action. The best tutorial is to examine specific cases, for good or for bad, of the decision process.

For the last three months we’ve watched President Obama struggle with his decision regarding Afghanistan. A superb presentation of his decision making process and one I highly recommend everyone read can be found in the New York Times, entitled “How Obama Came to Plan for ‘Surge’ in Afghanistan.”

Picture credit: AP