Thinking For a Change (Maxwell, 2003)

Thinking For a Change (Maxwell, 2003)

11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work

115 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars You = World Class Thinker, March 17, 2003
By Martin Schray (West Chicago, IL United States)

Thinking For A Change is any easy, but thought provoking read. Thinking For A Change is broken down into two major sections.

The first section explores the premise that if you change your thinking you change your life. The second section of the book offers up eleven thinking skills and concrete ways to start applying these thinking skills. So the second section of the book contains the tools to change your thinking so you can change your life.

The eleven thinking skills Thinking For A Change offers are as follows:

1. Acquire the wisdom of big-picture thinking - does my thinking extend beyond me and my world
2. Unleash the potential of focused thinking - concentrate to find clarity on the real issues
3. Discover the joy of creative thinking - get out of the box and find break through thinking
4. Recognize the importance of realistic thinking - does my thinking have a solid mental foundation
5. Release the power of strategic thinking - is my thinking leading to plans for today that help me reach my potential tomorrow
6. Feel the energy of possibility thinking - possibility thinking can help you find solutions to even the difficult problems
7. Embrace the lessons of reflective thinking - am I revisiting the past to gain understanding and learn from what happened
8. Question the acceptance of popular thinking - am I rejecting the limitations of common thinking
9. Encourage the participation of shared thinking - am I engaging others to expand and sharpen my thinking
10. Experience the satisfaction of unselfish thinking - am I considering others and their needs
11. Enjoy the return of bottom-line thinking - am I staying focused on results

John Maxwell does a great deal more the talk about the thinking styles. He offers concrete examples of the styles in action and more importantly he shares many thoughts about the process and discipline of thinking. His insights transform a book on thoughts about thinking into a practical manual for the application of world class thinking. At the end of each chapter there are exercises designed to help you find the thinker in you and help you build momentum and experience in being a great thinker.

This is another great book from John Maxwell and has his signature style of examples, stories and great quotes to drive points home. I highly recommend Thinking For A Change.

p.41 Learning to write is learning to think. You don't know anything clearly enough unless you can state it in writing. - S. I. Hayakawa

p.104-105 An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail...Creativity is being able to see what everybody else has seen and think what nobody else has thought so that you can do what nobody else has done... No matter what you are currently able to do, creativity can make you capable of more.

p.107 You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. - Maya Angelou

p.111 The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions. - Antony Jay

p.115 All human development, no matter what form it takes, must be outside the rules; otherwise, we would never have anything new - Charles Kettering

p.144 All good strategic thinkers are precise in their thinking. They try to match the strategy to the problem, because strategy isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition.

p.145 The question that faces the strategic decision-maker is not what his organization should do tomorrow. It is: "What do we have to do today to be ready for uncertain tomorrow?" Strategic thinking is the bridge that links where you are to where you want to be.

p.149 Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined. - William Feather

p.165 So-called experts do more to shoot down people's dreams than just about anybody else.

p.193 The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones. - John Maynard Keynes

p.203 Most people are more satisfied with old problems than committed to finding new solutions.

p.212 If you combine the thoughts you have and the thoughts that others have, you will come up with thoughts you've never had!

p.216 Always be on the lookout for ideas. Be completely indiscriminate as to the source... It doesn't matter who thought of an idea. - Jeffery J. Fox