Dare to think differently : how open-mindedness creates exceptional decision-making / Gerald Zaltman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zaltman, Gerald, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Decision making.

Creative thinking.

Subconsciousness.

decision making.

unconscious.

Physical Description:

xvi, 213 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford Business Books, an imprint of Stanford University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"A Harvard Business School professor's guide to thinking about thinking, using the creative power of the unconscious. Gerald Zaltman's pioneering research methods for understanding the unconscious desires of customers are used by companies around the world. Dare to Think Differently draws on the same groundbreaking methods to explain the deep and innovative thinking used by highly successful executives. Reflecting emerging viewpoints in neuroscience, Zaltman contends that multiple forces, not just a brain, collaborate to produce a mind. Highly effective decision-makers are able and willing to go beyond their conscious thinking and surface powerful, creative, unconscious thoughts and feelings. They candidly ask whether what they feel they "know" is actually warranted, opening their minds to new alternatives. This book's insights emerge from a large number of one-on-one in-depth interviews with senior leaders around the globe, reinforced with research findings from scientific literatures. Zaltman presents six techniques he developed to help his students at Harvard, and his blue chip consulting clients, tap into the creative power of the unconscious: "befriending your ignorance," "serious play," "chasing your curiosity," asking the right "discovery questions," "panoramic thinking," and using the "voyager outlook." These techniques provide a research-based set of ideas for improving decision-making that go beyond the existing literature on "thinking smarter." Mirroring Zaltman's Harvard Business School classroom practice, each chapter opens with a practical-thinking exercise that helps readers surface the mental processes and biases that unconsciously close minds and constrict thinking. This creative surfacing is the crucial foundation for any leader operating in a complex, uncertain environment, who needs unconventional solutions to challenging problems"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

What is a mind, anyway? : and what is it for?

Serious playfulness : why you need constructive mischief

Befriending ignorance : making "I don't know" an ally

The power of surprising yourself : asking the right discovery questions

The art of being curious : chasing your curiosity

Panoramic thinking : transitioning from hedgehog to fox

Don't be afraid of the dark : using the "voyager outlook" to embrace ambiguity

Being smart isn't enough : having an open mind matters more

Fluid thinking : a reprise : leveraging the power of being consciously unconscious.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version Zaltman, Gerald Dare to think differently

ISBN:

9781503644298

1503644294

OCLC:

1503768193