Dare to Think Differently: How Open-Mindedness Creates Exceptional Decision-Making

Dare to Think Differently is a thorough and practical guide on how to live with an open mind. The book is dense with memorable metaphors and actionable advice. Zaltman cites humility, courage and discipline as three dispositions that support an open mind. Those three dispositions ooze from each word in the book – you can tell that the author is living those values.Dare to Think Differently offers many strategies and tactics for how to build open-mindedness into your daily life. Strategies and tactics are presented in a digestible way. As you read this book, you will feel compelled to implement changes in pursuit of an open mind, starting now, and you will be better for it.As an investor, I rely on a philosophy “strong opinions, loosely held” to remain flexible but never paralyzed as I navigate markets. Zaltman’s chapters “Befriending Ignorance”, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” (on embracing ambiguity) and “Being Smart Isn’t Enough” (often, wisdom > intelligence) delve deeply into tenets of my “strong opinions, loosely held” philosophy that I had never considered.If you are a businessperson looking to deepen your understanding of your own mind, leading to better business decisions, this book is for you. If you are a striver, looking for an actionable guide on improving your mind, this book is for you.Zaltman says in the book, “if we’ve been building an open mind toolbox, then being wise is knowing what situation calls for a wrench and which for a hammer. And also whether that hammer needs to be applied with force or just a quick tap”. You will leave this book with a full toolkit on building an open mind. Now build something great!

This book delves into the subtextual reality of decision-making and how our subconscious plays a part. If you are eager to think, learn, and execute differently, this book is an embodiment of thinking intuitively while retaining logic. Through practical techniques like 'panoramic thinking' and 'serious playfulness,' it is a beautiful and actionable guide by Professor Gerald Zaltman for those who 'Dare to Think Differently.'Sumaiya Malik, Author of 30: Reinvent Yourself Dive into the Multiverse of Self-Discovery.

Great book for both academia fellows or business decision makers, well grounded and bold in both bridging between both worlds and challenging them. It is a great toolbox for open-minded people, providing space for reflection, storytelling, and anticipative thinking.

Some thinkers advance a discipline. A rarer few change its direction. Gerald Zaltman belongs firmly among the latter.While marketing busied itself measuring opinions and tabulating preferences, Zaltman poses a deeper question: what truly moves within the human mind? Like Aristotle before him, he reminds us that the mind is no ledger of rational accounts but a living landscape of metaphor, memory, emotion, and the unseen currents of thought.Others study markets. Zaltman illuminate the minds that make them.In an age rich in data yet poor in insight, in this book he calls us back to meaning.And that achievement will long outlast us all.

As Stevo’s Novel Ideas, I am a long-time book reviewer, member of the media, an Influencer, and a content provider. I received this book as a review copy from either the author, the publisher or a publicist. I have not been compensated for this recommendation. I have selected it as Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 3/1, as it stands heads above other recently published books on this topic.