The Power of Impossible Thinking Transform the Business of Your Life and the Life of Your Business

by Wind, Yoram (Jerry) R.; Cook, Colin

• ISBN13: 9780131877283
• ISBN10: 0131877283
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-30
• Publisher: FT Press

Summary

If you think impossible thoughts, you can do impossible things! That's the message of this book. But how do you do it? The Power of Impossible Thinking is about getting better at making sense of what's going on around you so you can make decisions that respond to reality, not inaccurate or obsolete models of the world. Now in paperback for the first time, this bestseller reveals how your mental models stand between you and the truth and how to transform them into your biggest advantage! You'll learn how to develop new ways of seeing, when to change to a new model, how to swap amongst a portfolio of models, how to "zoom in and out " to understand complex environments and how to do "mind R and D, " improving your models through constant experimentation. Jerry Wind and Colin Crook review why it's so hard to change mental models and offer practical strategies for dismantling the "hardened missile silos " that are your old and obsolete models.

Author Biography

Yoram (Jerry) Wind is The Lauder Professor, Professor of Marketing, Founding Editor of Wharton School Publishing, and Academic Director of The Wharton Fellows Network at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Founder and Director of the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management, The Wharton School's think tank. Wind led the development of a number of key Wharton programs including the reinvention of the Wharton MBA curriculum and the creation of the Wharton Executive MBA Program. Among his many affiliations is former chancellor, the International Academy of Management (IAM). One of the world's most cited marketing authors, his books include Driving Change: How the Best Companies Are Preparing for the 21st Century, and The Power of Impossible Thinking. Dr. Wind has served as an advisor to many Fortune 500 firms and non-U.S. multinationals throughout the financial services, pharmaceuticals, information, and consumer packaged goods industries, and as advisor and board member for a wide range of entrepreneurial ventures. His consulting focuses on global corporate and business strategy, corporate transformation, marketing strategy, and especially new business development. He is the recipient of all the major marketing awards. Wind received a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

 

Colin Crook is senior fellow of The Wharton School of the Universityof Pennsylvania, Advisory Board, member of Rein Capital, editorialboard member of the journal Emergence, and has served on numerousNational Academy committees and advisory groups. He has providedadvice to governments and businesses around the world, and is aFellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK). He was formerlyChief Technology Officer for Citicorp.

 

Table of Contents

(An Aside) Is This Any Way to Start a Book?	p. xxiii
Preface	p. xlvii
Introduction to the Paperback Edition	p. lix
Recognize the Power and Limits of Mental Models	p. 1
Our Models Define Our World	p. 3
Running the Miracle Mile	p. 21
Keeping Your Models Relevant	p. 37
Should You Change Horses?	p. 39
Paradigm Shifts Are a Two-Way Street	p. 57
Seeing a New Way of Seeing	p. 77
Sift for Sense from Streams of Complexity	p. 93
Engage in R&D of the Mind	p. 121
Transform Your World	p. 139
Dismantle the Old Order	p. 141
Find Common Ground to Bridge Adaptive Disconnects	p. 157
Act Quickly and Effectively	p. 171
Develop the Intuition to Act Quickly	p. 173
The Power to Do the Impossible	p. 189
Challenging Your Own Thinking: Personal, Business, and Society	p. 209
Conclusion: What You Think Is What You Do	p. 235
The Neuroscience Behind Mental Models	p. 239
Selected Bibliography	p. 257
Acknowledgments	p. 261
Index 263
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

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