 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | The lure of this book's promise starts with the assumption in its title. Possibility--that big, all-encompassing, wide-open-door concept--is an art? Well, who doesn't want to be a skilled artist, whether in the director's chair, the boardroom, on the factory floor, or even just in dealing with life's everyday situations? Becoming an artist, however, requires discipline, and what the authors of The Art of Possibility offer is a set of practices designed to "initiate a new approach to current conditions, based on uncommon assumptions about the nature of the world." If that sounds a little too airy-fairy for you, don't be put off; this is no mere self-improvement book, with a wimpy mandate to transform its readers into "nicer" people. Instead, it's a collection of illustrations and advice that suggests a way to change your entire outlook on life and, in the process, open up a new realm of possibility. Consider, for example, the practice of "Giving an A," whether to yourself or to others. Not intended as a way to measure someone's performance against standards, this practice instead recognizes that "the player who looks least engaged may be the most committed member of the group," and speaks to their passion rather than their cynicism. It creates possibility in an interaction and does away with power disparities to unite a team in its efforts. Or consider "Being the Board," where instead of defining yourself as a playing piece, or even as the strategist, you see yourself as the framework for the entire game. In this scenario, assigning blame or gaining control becomes futile, while seeking to become an instrument for effective partnerships becomes possible. Packed with such examples of personal and professional interactions, the book presents complex ideas on perception and recognition in a readable, useable style. The authors' combined, eclectic experience in music and painting (as well as family therapy and executive workshops) infuses their examples with vibrant color and sound. The relevance to corporate situations and relationships is well developed, and they don't rely on dry case studies to do it. Indeed, this book assumes the emotional intelligence and desire to engage of its reader, promising access to the rewards of that door-opening notion--possibility--in return. --S. Ketchum |
Average Customer Rating:   Brilliant! Recommended for everyone...especially our children! This is a brilliant book. On my top 10 list of personal favorites. Its one of the books I keep handy to reference back on when needed. Not just for musicians, but all walks and people from different lifestyles.
Its a must read for our teenagers!
The best book I read in years! I first experienced Benjamin Zander on the youtube from a presentation at the TED conference.
[...]
I was inspired by this presentation and when I saw he had a book I was intrigued. After reading the sample pages I bought it and I continue to go back frequently and re-read parts of it. Every chapter spoke to my heart. Many moved me to tears because to the sensitivity with which Ben and Rosamund approach the world. A Nice Message, but Disappointing Overall Although there were moments I was absolutely sucked into the book and inspired by the message, by the end I was ready for it to end. The opening chapter focuses on how reality is all made up and everything is subjective. I think anyone who has been to college will have heard these same arguments in about ten different classes - literature, psychology, sociology, and anthropology - and frankly, the book made it all sound very simplistic. They use a couple of scientific examples - and poof! They have a theory that serves as a basis for the rest of the book. It isn't very original or especially compelling.
Another problem was that almost all the real life examples Zander uses are about orchestra. I appreciate music, but I wished there could be more variety. I got sick of the repetition. Worst of all, almost all of Zander's personal stories are about times he did something amazing. At first I was impressed, but after a while, it sounded egotistical. He should have incorporated more examples from everyday people and avoided focusing on his own life so much. When the authors started suggesting solutions for ending terrorism, I was done. It was too over-the-top, too simplistic.
I love this book! This is now one of my favorite books to recommend and to give as gifts to friends and colleagues. I love this book! This is now one of my favorite books to recommend and to give as gifts to friends and colleagues.
Rosamund Stone Zander is a family therapist and painter, and her husband, Benjamin Zander, is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic - a volunteer Orchestra that is rated among the best in the world, where most of the other orchestras in this league are salaried. Over the years of their professional and personal collaborations, Ros and Ben have developed approaches for reframing challenging situations in positive ways, so that people who might otherwise end up in conflict are able to find their ways to negotiate mutually acceptable and satisfying resolutions to their disagreements.
Simple steps are detailed for re-conceptualizing prickly and knotty issues so that both sides discover ways around apparently insurmountable blocks and discover cooperative, mutually satisfying resolutions to problems. Much of their approach encourages the development of positive attitudes and expectations about dealing with such situations.
Each chapter is richly illustrated with personal anecdotes of how the methods Ben and Ros recommend have been successful in diverse challenging situations. Here are but a few of the many gems from this sparkling book:
An apocryphal story
A shoe factory sends two marketing scouts to a region of Africa to study the prospects for expanding business. One sends back a telegram saying,
SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES
The other writes back triumphantly,
GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES.
Ros and Ben point out that when we get our backs up, much of what we assume to be fact is actually a reality that is created in our imaginations. By keeping this in mind, we allow ourselves to open to new possibilities in our negotiations.
A simple way to practice it's all invented is to ask yourself this question:
What assumption am I making,
That I'm not aware I'm making,
That gives me what I see?
And when you have an answer to that question, ask yourself this one:
What might I now invent,
That I haven't yet invented,
That would give me other choices? (p. 15)
Reframing one's situation in a major way:
You define yourself not as a piece, nor as the strategist, but as the board itself, the framework for the game of life around you. Notice we said that you define yourself that way, not that you are that...
When you identify yourself as a single chess piece - and by analogy, as an individual in a particular role - you can only react to, complain about, or resist the moves that interrupted your plans. But if you name yourself as the board itself you can turn all your attention to what you want to see happen, with none paid to what you need to win or fight or fix.
The action in this graceful game is ongoing integration. One by one, you bring everything you have been resisting into the fold. You, as the board, make room for all the moves, for the capture of the knight and the sacrifice of your bishop, for your good driving and the accident, for your miserable childhood and the circumstance of your parents' lives, for your need and another's refusal. Why? Because that is what is there. It is the way things are.
You ask yourself, in regard to the unwanted circumstances, "Well, how did this get on the board that I am?" or, "Now, how is it that I have become a context for that to occur?" You will begin to see the obvious and then the not-so-obvious contributions of your calculating self, or of your history, or of earlier decisions that landed you where you are, feeling like a victim. This reflection may bring forth from you an apology that will knit back together the strands of raveled relationships. And then you will be standing freely and powerfully once again in a universe of possibility. (p. 146-7)
This book is very highly recommended for anyone in the helping or managerial professions, as well as for anyone wishing to improve their negotiating skills in their personal lives.
Pure inspiration! Very inspirational, with lots of helpful "practices." Funny and sincere. Great help in transforming your point of view, if you feel stuck (or if you feel the others are stuck). I'd like to respond to the reviewers who criticized this book for being too facile or slick or old news: if you read a lot of self-help books then maybe you already know most of this stuff, but here it's presented from an unexpected perspective, with lots of uplifting, real-life examples. There really aren't many different things that can help you become less neurotic and you probably already know that; the point is to find an approach that will speak to you best. For me it was this book. Thank you very much Mrs. and Mr. Zander! I feel like I literally lifted a heavy burden off my back, the burden being my "downward spiral" attitude and a good dose of Revenge Creature, too. I know I will use practices from this book over and over. |  |
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