Decide & Conquer – David Siegel

(May 23, 2022) As business books go, this is a standout. The personality of the author David Siegel shines through and it’s an enjoyable read. He’s had an interesting career and writing this book is meant to be a gift to others. Even before I read his “Gratitude” in lieu of Acknowledgements at the end of the book, it was evident that his worldview is grounded in gratitude, generosity, and a genuine desire to positively impact the world. He was a good choice to replace Meetup‘s founder and first CEO, Scott Heiferman.

The format of the book makes it easy to digest specific points or lessons Siegel wants to be clear about. At its core, it addresses business leadership skills, hence the 44 points. Those points don’t interrupt the flow of his storytelling, which is very engaging. There was a lot of tension and cliffhangers in this book. It kept me turning the pages to see what happened next.

It brought to mind Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces in that it feels like an odyssey by the time we conclude the book. There are hurdles, setbacks, and plot twists in what is astonishingly a short two-year period. And then . . . the pandemic!

My interview with David for Inside Scoop was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation. He has an easy way of connecting with people, which likely accounts for his popularity with the students he teaches at Columbia University. That’s how I happened to connect with him, through one of his students who is a long-time friend, Leigh Nusbaum. These are the very happenstances that seem to take a central role in David’s life.

Reading this book was time well spent. It is a very modern tale with practical lessons on what it takes to lead a global tech business that is still very much dependent on people. It’s also a singular story of one man’s journey in navigating the sometimes choppy seas of a 21st-century career path.

Follow David Siegel on Twitter @davidmeirsiegel