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

Chapter 1Our ModelsDefine Our World

In the old world, managers make products. In the new world, managers make sense of things.

—John Seely Brown ¹

It's midnight, and you hear a loud radio in the apartment downstairs.

Last week the quiet old man who lived there passed away, and you've been concerned about the arrival of the next tenant. You never know who might move in, and you've heard some real horror stories from your college friends. In an apartment house, the wrong neighbors can make your life miserable.

Now your worst fears have come true. The rock music plays on and on. You toss and turn, looking at the clock. At 12:30 a.m., you decide to wait just a little longer. Even if your new neighbor is a jerk, you are reluctant to turn your first ...