Book Brief 02 | The Art of Possibility

Welcome all. Today's briefing will cover Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander's book: THE ART OF POSSIBILITY: Transforming Personal and Professional Life

As always, the purpose of a Book Brief is to provide as much potentially useful information as busy people like yourself may need, to decide if reading the book under consideration will be a good use of your time. We'll begin with specifications, and move on to more subjective information.

ISBN-10: 0142001104

Year: 2002

Version: Paperback (purchased new at local Barnes & Noble for $14.00 in 2006)

Pages: 209

Dimensions: 8.0 x 5.25 x 0.625 (inches)

Other versions: hardcover, audiobook, Kindle, used, and audio cd (Amazon); hardcover, paperback, used, and Nook (Barnes & Noble); used paperback, hardcover, and audio cd (Thriftbooks.com)

Back and front cover of The Art of Possibility.

Why did you buy it?

In 2006, I was taking a management course. One of the books we were required to read was to be of our own choosing. The only requirement was that it be about management.

At the time, I was in the early stages of scratching my way out of a deep dark dangerous depression. If you’ve ever been there, then you know there is no sadness, no happiness, no anger, no tears, no desire, no hunger. There is nothing. It’s a terrible (and potentially awesome) place to be. Everyone should learn the (temporary) experience of not feeling anything, if only to appreciate the long term experience of feeling everything. But I digress…

I went to Barnes & Noble and perused the racks and stacks of books on business and management. I remember being annoyed at the books, which all looked the same on the outside, suggesting the insides would be similarly, well, similar. Flat, colorless, and tediously similar. But, I needed to get a book… something that wouldn’t weigh me down any more than the depression was already doing. And there it was. The Art of Possibility. A little paperback book (lightweight, easy to carry, cheap) with a bright yellow cover which included the words “art” and “possibility”. Glaringly dissimilar from the others.

Perfect.

I could feel all the other management books looking at me, as if to say, “you’re not gonna pick that book… it’s yellow… it doesn’t even say ‘management’…" I mentally replied antagonistically (...to the inanimate objects on the shelf...), “Oh… this book?... I shouldn’t pick this book?... oh, I’m gonna pick this book… and I’m gonna read this book…and you and your friends with your boring block letters on white backgrounds and monotonous titles are going to stay right here on the shelf… unwanted… unloved… and unread.”

(I was really depressed.)

So that's why I bought it. I read it again for this book brief, but my first reading was in 2006.

Of note: I expected that, given the quantity of management books on the shelves, there would be a variety of books being discussed in that class. However, almost every other student in that class picked a book called Who Moved My Cheese… And yes, it is about mice...

I was kind of unnerved at the groupthink… You're given one opportunity to stand out in the class, with the instructor, among your peers... One person asks, "What are you going to read?" And suddenly 75-80% of the class is reading that book. Just something to think about. Blaze your own trail, my friends. Still. If it's that popular, I imagine I'll probably read it for a book brief one day.

Would you buy it again? Absolutely.

Will you keep it as a resource? Yes. I've referred back to it multiple times over 15 years.

Contents page

Who is it for?

The Art of Possibility was featured in a section of the bookstore called "Business/Management", but it’s really a book about leadership. And yes, it’s true that leadership and (some) other soft skills have come to the forefront as important topics in business and management. But generally, in business books, the topic is still presented in terms of leadership as a strategy for the organization. Which is good. Studying and improving your strategic skills is very good. But the Zanders have put the focus on the people. The people leading, being led, and the art of leadership itself.

This book considers how leadership improves not only the performance of the company, but the performance, productivity, and wellbeing of the people who make up the company. That includes the people being served-- customers, clients, patients, community, students, etc. So, it is as much for parents, teachers, public sector, nonprofits, social services, healthcare providers, military (yes, military), law enforcement, and other first responders, as it is for the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or the person running the landscaping business that has the contract for the company property.

It really depends on where you're at (metaphorically speaking), your approach, and what you're trying to achieve.

If you are a person who wants to be a better leader, this book could be for you. If you’re someone who wants to create better leaders among your teams, staff, or students, this book could be for you.

If you want your leaders to take a 'survival of the fittest', 'law of the jungle', 'eat or be eaten' strategy, this book is probably not for you. However, if you want your leaders to care about and look at themselves, their peers, their subordinates, their customers/clients/community, and their work, with optimism, excitement, and an open mind, this book is for you.

If you’re someone who recognizes that how you lead has an impact on the performance, productivity, and wellbeing of the individuals you work with, this book is for you. If you don't really care about the individuals you work with, let alone their wellbeing, this book is probably not for you.

If you want to motivate your teams/staff/students to bring 100% to the job out of fear of disappointing or angering you, this book is probably not for you. But, if you want to develop a company culture that positively motivates your teams/staff/students to fearlessly bring 100% to the job every day because they're excited about the work and getting to it, this book is for you.

Text sample

How does it read? Easy.

Did you find it useful? Yes. I had 38 page tabs, 21 bookmarks, and lots of underlining. Over the years, I’ve incorporated many of the practices into how I lead—programs, teams, people, family, friends… and incorporated them into my staff training and development plans.

How long did it take you? 7 hours over 5 days

Did you skip anything?

Yes. I skipped or skimmed several, but not all, printed letters to the authors. In several chapters, the authors include multiple letters from various sources to illustrate the impact of the practices. The letters also show how the responses and reactions of students and patrons informed how the authors’ developed the practices.

At times, the language gets a bit metaphorical and creatively wordy. This is not unpleasant, and likely due to the writing style of the authors and their excitement to share the practice. I was fully engaged with the text, but found myself feeling, at times… impatient.

I would add that none of the areas I skimmed or skipped prevented me from fully understanding and appreciating the practices, which are the most important part.

Anything else I might want to know?

I should have included this in the “Who is it for?” category, but I didn’t want it to get in the way. This book is about leadership and creativity. Not creativity specifically targeting leaders in the creative economy or creative community. It's creativity of thought. Expressive. Innovative. Out of the box. Seeking creative solutions to complex problems. That kind of creativity.

Rosamund Stone Zander is an artist, an executive coach, and a therapist. She designs programs for corporations and government agencies, and “promotes creativity as an essential adult capacity.” Benjamin Zander is a highly respected conductor and teacher, who “has become a sought-after speaker to major organizations for his presentations on leadership and creativity.”

That it’s about creativity in conjunction with leadership only makes the book and the practices more valuable, in my opinion.

This concludes my Book Brief. If there are books you'd like me to read or questions you'd like answered, please let me know.

Thank you for reading. Have a great day, and come back soon.

Shannon