The Power of Impossible Thinking

I just finished reading The Power of Impossible Thinking by Jerry Wind and Colin Crook.  Really an eye-opener.  Drawing on the latest neuroscientific research and their experience with corporate transformations, Jerry Wind and Colin Crook explain how your mental models stand between you and reality, distorting all your perceptions...and how they create both limits and opportunities.

Some key points and excerpts that are especially relevant to the Lean transformation process:

How to See Differently

Most of the time we ignore so much of the world around us. We walk through the world and don’t pay attention to it. We classify new ideas as “crazy” and don’t give them a second thought. How do you cultivate the ability to see things differently?

Listen to the Radicals

You need to be able to listen, as IBM did, to the radicals and look for the wisdom and opportunities within their “bizarre” ideas.  Who are the radicals in your world and what are they saying to you? What are they seeing that you don’t see? What can you learn from them? Is there some wisdom in their ideas, and how can you bring it into your life in a way that won’t appear quite so bizarre to those around you?

Embark on Journeys of Discovery

It is not just where you go but how you see the experience that counts.  Darwin would have been merely a tourist had he not recorded and thought deeply about his new adventures.  Journeys that could offer new ways of looking at the world might be into new lands but also could be into areas such youth markets or video gaming. Listening to the emerging segments of consumers, employees and investors can offer fresh perspectives on your organization or industry.

Look Across Disciplines

Part of your own familiar territory is your education and training, and you can make new discoveries when you cross these borders. Education and training create communities that have an approved way of seeing and understanding the world. This shared view makes it easier for community members to work together.

After reading this book you will start to look at the world in a whole new way!