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Sue Shellenbarger answers readers' questions

Q: Regarding your column on risk-taking, can you provide resources for learning more about how people make risky decisions?

A: Those who wrangle daily with risk can often provide insight to the broader nature of uncertainty, peril and payoff. In his 2007 book "Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose and Live with Acceptable Risk," Ben Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon known for complex surgeries on the brain and spinal cord, offers advice on tuning out alarmism and focusing on the essentials of decision-making. For a firsthand account by a professional in a perilous job, try "The Essentials of Cave Diving" by underwater filmmaker and explorer Jill Heinerth, who describes how she regularly assesses the risk level of dangerous dives.

In the investment realm, David X Martin, a senior adviser at management consultancy Oliver Wyman, has written two useful books, including "Risk and the Smart Investor," aimed at active investors. "The Nature of Risk," his short parable for newer investors, portrays different types of risk-takers as forest animals, showing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

For executives, "Taking Smart Risks" by Doug Sundheim, a leadership and organizational consultant, offers help finding the middle ground between reckless wagers and the more calculated risks necessary to sustain growth and competitiveness. "Stop Playing Safe," by executive coach and speaker Margie Warrell, offers research and advice on stepping out of a comfort zone to achieve work or personal goals.

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