10 Problem Solving Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs
Recommendations from Eric Schmidt, Ev Williams, and Adam Grant reveal key strategies in Problem Solving Books
Updated on June 25, 2025·We may earn commissions for purchases made via this page
5 of 10 books have Audiobook versions
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What if you could learn to solve your toughest problems faster and smarter just by turning the pages of a book? Many people rush to solutions without pausing to ask if they're tackling the right problem. Today, problem solving matters more than ever—whether you're leading a team, launching a startup, or navigating daily challenges. Unlocking better methods can save time, reduce frustration, and lead to breakthroughs.
Leaders like Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, have discovered how framing the problem correctly transforms results. He praises What's Your Problem? for teaching this vital skill. Meanwhile, Ev Williams, co-founder of Twitter and Medium, relies on Sprint to speed innovation with a clear five-day process. And Adam Grant, a bestselling author and organizational psychologist, highlights Cracked it! for its rigorous, strategic frameworks. Their diverse backgrounds show how problem solving bridges creative and analytical worlds.
While these expert-curated books provide proven frameworks, readers seeking content tailored to their specific experience, industry, and goals might consider creating a personalized Problem Solving book that builds on these insights. Such customization helps you apply powerful strategies directly to your unique challenges and accelerates your learning journey.
Ev Williams, co-founder of Twitter and Medium, brought this book into focus while seeking faster, more reliable ways to develop products. He urges you to "Read this book and do what it says if you want to build better products faster." His perspective carries weight given his experience scaling major tech platforms. This method helped him rethink product development speed and effectiveness. Alongside him, David TestUser Carrierosky simply calls it an "Amazing book," affirming its broad appeal to innovators aiming for impact under tight deadlines.
Jake Knapp is cofounder and general partner at Character Capital and a New York Times bestselling author. Previously, he helped build Gmail and Microsoft Encarta, cofounded Google Meet, and was a partner at Google Ventures. He lives on Orcas Island in Washington state.
Jake Knapp’s experience at Google Ventures shaped this focused guide to tackling big challenges swiftly. You learn a structured five-day process that moves from defining a problem to prototyping and testing solutions, with chapters detailing each daily step to keep teams aligned and productive. Whether you work in startups, large corporations, or nonprofits, this book shows you how to compress months of work into a single week, emphasizing practical team collaboration and real user feedback. It’s especially useful if you want to avoid endless meetings and start validating ideas rapidly. While it’s geared toward product and innovation teams, anyone facing complex decisions can gain from its clear framework.
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and Executive Chairman of Alphabet, brings a wealth of strategic expertise to his recommendation of this book. During his time leading some of the world's most complex organizations, he recognized how often teams tackle the wrong problems, leading to wasted effort and missed opportunities. He says, "The author makes a compelling case that we often start solving a problem before thinking deeply about whether we are solving the right problem." This insight reshaped Schmidt's approach to problem solving and strategy. Alongside Schmidt, Adam Grant, a New York Times-bestselling author and TED podcast host, also highlights this book as a critical read for leadership, emphasizing its clarity and practical value.
“The author makes a compelling case that we often start solving a problem before thinking deeply about whether we are solving the right problem. If you want the superpower of solving better problems, read this book.”
Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg is a recognized expert in problem-solving and innovation. He has worked with numerous organizations to help them reframe their challenges and find effective solutions. His insights are drawn from extensive research and practical experience, making him a sought-after speaker and consultant in the field.
Drawing from his extensive experience helping organizations innovate, Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg challenges you to reconsider the problems you tackle before rushing to solutions. In this book, you learn a simple, three-step method—Frame, Reframe, Move Forward—that teaches how to identify whether you're addressing the right problem. Through memorable examples like the "slow elevator problem," it equips you with mental skills to shift perspective and unlock better outcomes. If you're involved in leadership, consulting, or entrepreneurship, this book offers a fresh approach to avoid wasted effort and improve problem-solving effectiveness.
This AI-created book on problem solving is crafted based on your background, skill level, and personal goals. By sharing what areas of problem solving interest you most and what challenges you face, the book is tailored to focus on what will benefit you specifically. This personalized approach makes learning more relevant and efficient, helping you build mastery that fits your unique context. It’s a guide designed just for you, not a one-size-fits-all manual.
TailoredRead AI creates personalized nonfiction books that adapt to your unique background, goals, and interests. Instead of reading generic content, you get a custom book written specifically for your profession, experience level, and learning objectives. Whether you're a beginner looking for fundamentals or an expert seeking advanced insights, TailoredRead crafts a book that speaks directly to you. Learn more.
This personalized book explores the art and science of problem solving through a tailored lens, focusing on your unique background and goals. It examines diverse problem solving techniques, from creative ideation to rigorous analytical thinking, weaving together relevant concepts that match your interests. By addressing your specific challenges and preferred approaches, it reveals pathways to master complex problems effectively. This tailored guide delves into foundational principles as well as practical methods, encouraging you to deepen your understanding and enhance your skills in line with your personal learning journey. It’s an engaging exploration designed to help you navigate problem solving with confidence and clarity.
Stephane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange, brings a sharp perspective to problem solving given his extensive leadership experience in telecommunications. He highlights how every major business decision is vulnerable to cognitive biases, and he values how this book provides tested insights to counteract those challenges. His endorsement, "Cracked it! provides practical, value-creating and proven insight to develop and sell sound solutions by overcoming these biases," underscores the book's relevance in real-world leadership. Similarly, Laurence Capron, Professor of Strategy and Dean at INSEAD, praises the authors' combined academic rigor and consulting expertise, emphasizing the book as a go-to guide for executives and students alike, making it a cornerstone for mastering strategic problem solving.
“When dealing with a major business issue, every decision maker faces his own cognitive biases that can trip him up. Cracked it! provides practical, value-creating and proven insight to develop and sell sound solutions by overcoming these biases.”
Bernard Garrette, Corey Phelps, Olivier Sibony(you?)·
About the Author
Bernard Garrette is Professor of Strategy at HEC Paris. His teaching and research focus on corporate strategy, business simulations and problem solving. He served as MBA Associate Dean at HEC Paris, Corporate Strategy Expert with McKinsey & Company, and consultant or management educator for blue chip companies and start-ups.
What happens when decades of consulting experience meet rigorous academic research? Bernard Garrette, Corey Phelps, and Olivier Sibony, all seasoned strategy professors and consultants, crafted this methodical guide to help you tackle complex business problems more effectively. You’ll learn a four-step approach that addresses common cognitive biases, teaches how to frame and structure problems clearly, and shows how to communicate solutions persuasively. The book’s detailed case studies and practical frameworks make it especially useful if you’re involved in strategic decision-making or consulting. While it’s not a quick fix, it’s a solid manual for anyone serious about improving problem-solving skills in a professional setting.
Scott Allan, Amazon #1 bestselling author and top reviewer, highlights this book as a crucial guide for anyone wanting clearer decision-making. He recommends it because it helped him refine his own approach during complex choices in his writing career. "Invest in the future of your choices and read the book to gain more clarity on your decision making power!" Bathla’s methodical breakdown of mental pitfalls and actionable frameworks gave Allan fresh perspective on making decisions with confidence and focus.
Som Bathla loves to research human psychology & behavior in order to get maximum out of life. He is always eager to learn, embody and then impart the fundamental of optimal living to help others lead a resourceful life. He has written multiple bestseller books on topics about how to transform your mindset and enhance performance to get better and faster results. He is deeply convinced about the vastness of the human potential and is dedicated to teaching the ways to overcome self-doubt and fears, unleash the true human potential and thus enable one to take massive action through principles backed by psychological research and scientific evidence.
After analyzing cognitive psychology and decision-making research, Som Bathla developed a methodical approach to help you cut through the noise and make smarter choices faster. Drawing from his background researching human behavior, he unpacks common mental traps like autopilot decisions and information overload, offering you tools such as the "elimination by aspects" model and a four-step decision framework to clarify objectives and focus relentlessly. Chapters explore real psychological biases and how your brain’s basal ganglia influences habits, teaching you to upgrade your thinking for everyday and critical decisions alike. This book suits anyone wanting to sharpen their decision skills—whether in business, personal life, or study—but expects a practical mindset more than motivational pep talks.
Scott Allan, Amazon #1 bestselling author and top reviewer, endorses this book for anyone eager to enhance their creative problem solving. He highlights its practical approach to thinking differently and capturing ideas rapidly, which can transform productivity. Allan’s experience as a prolific author adds weight to his recommendation: "If you want to Think differently, be more creative, capture ideas to solve problems quickly and boost your productivity, you should read 'Think Out of the Box' and get started today!" This book helped him appreciate how structured creativity routines and brain insights can unlock innovative thinking in demanding professional environments.
“If you want to Think differently, be more creative, capture ideas to solve problems quickly and boost your productivity, you should read 'Think Out of the Box' and get started today!”
Som Bathla is an avid reader and researcher of human psychology and behavior. He has written multiple bestselling books on how to redesign your mind by thinking smarter and taking consistent actions to achieve professional success and greater happiness in life. He is deeply convinced about the vastness of human potential and is dedicated to teaching ways to overcome self-doubt and fears, unleashing true human potential through principles backed by psychological research and scientific evidence.
What started as Som Bathla's deep dive into human psychology and behavior became a guide to reshaping how you generate ideas and solve problems. This book teaches you to harness both the logical left brain and imaginative right brain, using exercises like the Tick-Tock technique and creative questioning to spark ideas on demand. You'll explore how environment design and neuroplasticity boost creativity, with examples from thinkers like Einstein and Tesla illustrating unconventional methods. If you want to sharpen your decision-making and become known as the "idea person," this book lays out specific routines and mindset shifts to help you think smarter and faster.
This AI-created book on rapid problem solving is crafted based on your background, skill level, and specific goals. You share which aspects of problem solving and decision making matter most to you, and the book is written to focus on those areas. It’s designed to help you move swiftly from identifying challenges to implementing solutions, all tailored to your experience and objectives. Rather than generic advice, this custom book zeroes in on what will work best for you, making your learning journey both efficient and effective.
TailoredRead AI creates personalized nonfiction books that adapt to your unique background, goals, and interests. Instead of reading generic content, you get a custom book written specifically for your profession, experience level, and learning objectives. Whether you're a beginner looking for fundamentals or an expert seeking advanced insights, TailoredRead crafts a book that speaks directly to you. Learn more.
This tailored book explores a focused plan for accelerating problem solving and decision making within 30 days. It covers techniques to break down complex challenges, prioritize actions, and achieve tangible progress quickly. By matching your background and goals, it offers a personalized pathway through proven problem solving concepts and practical exercises. The book examines how to identify key obstacles, generate effective solutions, and sustain momentum for rapid results. This personalized approach ensures that the content resonates with your specific interests and experience level, making your learning efficient and directly applicable. Dive into a guided journey that reveals how to navigate problems decisively and confidently, turning obstacles into opportunities for swift achievement.
Marc Andreessen, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and co-founder of Ning, highlights this book as a "compact guide to probabilistic domains like poker, or venture capital," recommending it for those navigating real-world uncertainties. His endorsement carries weight given his experience in venture capital, where decisions under uncertainty are daily fare. This book helped him refine his view on risk and decision-making by framing choices as bets with varying odds. Similarly, Seth Godin, a marketing thought leader, calls it so good he urges buying ten copies to share with your team, emphasizing its practical impact across professions.
Annie Duke is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, the winner of the 2004 Tournament of Champions and the only woman to win the NBC National Poker Heads Up Championship. Now, as a professional speaker and decision strategist, she merges her poker expertise with her cognitive psychology graduate work at UPenn. She is a founder of How I Decide, a non-profit that creates curricula and tools to improve decision making and critical thinking skills for under-served middle schoolers.
After years as a poker champion and decision strategist, Annie Duke challenges the desire for certainty in your choices. She teaches you to think probabilistically, weighing outcomes like bets rather than seeking guaranteed results. Through examples ranging from sports to business, you learn to separate luck from skill, assess risks realistically, and manage emotions that cloud judgment. Chapters explore concepts such as "resulting" and how to update beliefs with new information, offering tools to improve your decision framework. This book suits anyone eager to make smarter choices amid uncertainty, though its probabilistic mindset might not appeal to those seeking simple, black-and-white answers.
G. Polya, one of the twentieth century's most influential mathematicians, brings his extensive expertise to this book, offering readers a clear and approachable method for tackling problems. His work spans multiple mathematical fields, and this book distills that knowledge into practical strategies for reasoning through challenges. Polya's approach helps you strip away distractions and focus on the core of any problem, making this a valuable tool for sharpening your analytical skills across disciplines.
G. Polya (1887–1985) was one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century. His basic research contributions span complex analysis, mathematical physics, probability theory, geometry, and combinatorics. John H. Conway (1937–2020) was professor emeritus of mathematics at Princeton University.
G. Polya's decades of mathematical research culminate in this guide that teaches you how to approach problems with clarity and methodical thinking. The book breaks down the process of understanding and solving problems by focusing on strategies like working backward, using analogies, and induction, all explained through accessible language and practical examples such as proof demonstrations and game strategies. You'll find a heuristic dictionary that equips you with tools to tackle problems step-by-step, whether in math or daily life. This book suits anyone who wants to sharpen their reasoning skills, from students to professionals dealing with complex challenges.
Chip Heath, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and his brother Dan Heath, a senior fellow at Duke University, leverage their extensive academic expertise to tackle decision making’s complexities. Their combined experiences inspired a book that demystifies why our brains often lead us astray and offers a structured approach to better choices. Their backgrounds in business and social entrepreneurship provide unique perspectives that enrich the practical strategies they share, making this book a trustworthy guide for anyone wanting to sharpen their decision-making skills.
Chip Heath is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He lives in Los Gatos, California. Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University's Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE). He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Heath brothers are the bestselling authors of Made to Stick and Switch.
The Heath brothers bring their academic rigor and storytelling craft to the tricky task of improving how you make decisions. Chip, a Stanford business professor, and Dan, a senior fellow at Duke, base this book on psychological research revealing common biases like overconfidence and emotional distractions that often derail your choices. They guide you through a four-step method designed to sidestep these mental traps, illustrated with vivid examples from a rock star’s strategic trick to a CEO’s costly misstep. You'll gain practical tools for navigating personal dilemmas and group decisions alike, making it especially useful if you face complex choices at work or in life.
Barnaby Hum is an insightful writer whose works resonate deeply across diverse audiences. With an impressive lineup of titles, including Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: [5 in 1], he elucidates essentials of effective decision-making, transforming complex theories into relatable knowledge. Through compelling narratives and practical insights, he champions the journey towards emotional empowerment and decision-making excellence, inspiring readers to thrive in today’s fast-paced world.
Barnaby Hum is an insightful writer whose works resonate deeply across diverse audiences. With an impressive lineup of titles, including Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: [5 in 1], where he elucidates the essentials of effective decision-making, he transforms complex theories into relatable knowledge. In the Anger Management Bible series, encompassing guides for both men and women, Barnaby Hum harnesses the power of self-awareness to help individuals channel their emotions constructively, turning potential conflict into personal growth. Through his compelling narratives and practical insights, Barnaby Hum champions the journey towards emotional empowerment and decision-making excellence, inspiring readers to thrive in today’s fast-paced world.
Barnaby Hum is an insightful writer whose works resonate deeply across diverse audiences. In this book, he breaks down essential aspects of problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making, providing you with concrete frameworks to analyze problems, evaluate options, and make informed choices. You’ll find detailed explanations and real-world examples that clarify each step, from identifying root causes to managing stress under pressure. This guide suits anyone aiming to sharpen mental agility and approach challenges with clarity, whether in business, education, or daily life.
Paul Sloane is an experienced speaker and facilitator known for his work on innovation and creative thinking. He brings his expertise in lateral thinking to this book, aiming to help you approach problems differently through imaginative reasoning and examples from notable innovators. His background leading workshops worldwide gives him a unique perspective on fostering creativity in problem solving.
Paul Sloane is an experienced speaker, course leader, and facilitator. A recognised authority on innovation and creative speaking, he speaks and gives workshops to leading corporations around the world. He is also the best-selling author of How to Be a Brilliant Thinker, The Innovative Leader, The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills and editor of A Guide to Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing, all published by Kogan Page.
Unlike most problem solving books that focus on linear methods, Paul Sloane invites you to rethink challenges with lateral thinking—a creative approach that encourages fresh perspectives. Drawing on examples from innovators like Elon Musk and Lady Gaga, Sloane offers practical techniques to enhance your reasoning and persuasion skills, helping you tackle everyday problems in unexpected ways. Chapters include exercises to shift your mindset and frameworks for generating unconventional solutions, making it ideal if you want to break free from routine thinking. This book suits anyone seeking to boost creativity in problem solving, though if you prefer strictly analytical methods, it may feel less direct.
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Conclusion
These ten books reveal a rich spectrum of problem solving—from rapid design sprints to deep strategic thinking and creative lateral approaches. If you're facing urgent innovation hurdles, start with Sprint and Cracked it! to gain structured, actionable methods. For those wrestling with uncertainty and bias, Thinking in Bets and Decisive offer tools to sharpen judgment. Creative minds will find fresh fuel in Think Out of The Box and Lateral Thinking for Every Day.
Combining books like Make Smart Choices with Critical Thinking & Problem Solving can enhance both clarity and logic in your approach. Alternatively, you can create a personalized Problem Solving book to bridge the gap between general principles and your specific situation. These books can help you accelerate your learning journey and tackle problems with newfound confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?
Start with Sprint if you want quick, practical steps to solve problems in a team setting. It's highly recommended by innovators like Ev Williams for its clear, actionable process.
Are these books too advanced for someone new to Problem Solving?
Not at all. Books like How to Solve It and Make Smart Choices offer foundational skills suitable for beginners, guiding you through structured thinking and decision making.
What's the best order to read these books?
Begin with books that focus on framing problems, like What's Your Problem?, then move to strategic and creative methods such as Cracked it! and Think Out of The Box for deeper skills.
Should I start with the newest book or a classic?
Balance both. Classics like How to Solve It provide timeless methods, while newer books like Lateral Thinking for Every Day showcase fresh perspectives on creativity.
Which books focus more on theory vs. practical application?
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving leans toward theory and frameworks, while Sprint and Decisive emphasize hands-on, actionable techniques you can apply immediately.
How can personalized Problem Solving books complement these expert recommendations?
Personalized books tailor expert insights to your unique background and goals, making strategies more relevant and easier to apply. They bridge the gap between general advice and your specific challenges. Learn more here.
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