(Source: How Smart People Think)
How Smart People Think, the first book in a four-part series by author and leadership development practitioner Dick Richardson, was released and is now available through Amazon as well as Richardson’s official website. An audio edition is planned for the first quarter of 2026. The book introduces more than thirty practical mental models intended to support clearer and more confident decision-making, particularly for young professionals and students who are navigating early career choices.
Richardson explains that the book traces its inspiration to the early stages of his career, when he was introduced to the idea of using structured mental models to approach decisions thoughtfully and with focus. “When I was a new hire, I met a CEO who taught managers to use a curated set of mental models to make decisions,” he says. “Watching how those models helped simplify complicated challenges changed the way I approached every choice in my professional life.”
Over time, that introduction became a long-running interest in how people think, solve problems, and adapt under pressure. Richardson later worked in global leadership development, where he shared the same frameworks with teams in different cultural settings. According to Richardson, these models helped individuals see problems with greater clarity. “The right model doesn’t tell you what to choose,” he says. “It simply helps you see the situation more clearly so the choice becomes easier to recognize.”
(Dick Richardson, Author)
After leaving corporate leadership roles, Richardson founded his own consulting firm in 2015. The models again played a central role in how he built relationships, managed clients, and navigated growth. He eventually sold the firm five years later, and the idea of writing the book series began to take shape. He describes this stage as a transition into sharing what had helped him with those who were just beginning to develop their own decision-making instincts. “I wanted to make these tools accessible,” he says. “If someone can learn them earlier than I did, they gain a kind of clarity that stays with them.”
How Smart People Think presents its mental models through everyday scenarios rather than corporate theory, reflecting Richardson’s emphasis on practical application. Throughout the book, the model aims to encourage readers to pause, step outside their emotions, and view decisions from a more objective vantage point. Richardson credits this mindset to early guidance from his father. “My father used to say, think of what a smart person would do, and then do that,” he says. “At the time, I thought he was teasing me. Now I see that he was teaching me a way to separate the impulse of the moment from the clarity of thoughtful choice.”
This book is the first in a series that will explore decision-making in professional relationships, in business settings, and finally, in leadership contexts. Richardson notes that each book is aimed to stand on its own while contributing to a broader way of thinking. “These frameworks are like a toolkit,” he says. “Once you have them, they are there when the stakes are high and when life is moving quickly.”
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