<ul><li>Enable low-cost experiments to try possibilities.</li><li>Use language and rewards to spur innovation.</li><li>Evaluate before broader rollout.</li><li>Continually revisit tensions - they evolve.</li><li>Name paradoxes to honor discomfort.</li><li>Conflict skills build comfort amid differences.</li></ul>

Experimentation and Evolution

<ul><li>Either/or thinking restricts solutions and mindsets.</li><li>Overemphasizing one side of a paradox while neglecting the other is limited at best and detrimental at worst.</li><li>Navigating paradox requires adopting mindsets that enable holding two opposing forces simultaneously. This challenges rational assumptions.</li></ul>Truth is not black and white. "Yes, and" thinking honors others' realities without necessarily agreeing. Multiple truths can coexist.

The Limits of Either/Or Thinking

<ul><li>Life's complexity reflects our own.</li><li>Vulnerability strengthens courage.</li><li>Woundedness builds integrity.</li><li>It's not either/or but this AND that.</li><li>Messy problems present dilemmas with logical but opposed solutions.</li></ul>Adaptive challenges lack roadmaps, unlike technical problems. Navigating paradox means shifting assumptions to hold contradictions together.

Why Both/And Thinking

Without paradox mindsets, people get stuck in downward vicious cycles of either/or thinking: Rabbit holes (intensifying one pole), Wrecking balls (overcorrecting to the opposite extreme), and Trench warfare (each side attacking the other's stuck thinking).Cognitive, emotional and behavioral traps fuel these detrimental spirals.

Getting Stuck in Vicious Cycles

Link tensions to higher purpose. Set vision passionately unifying opposites. Build guardrails ensuring both poles are represented.Diversify stakeholders across paradoxes. Long-term vision sustains creative friction.

Higher Purpose and Vision 

A visionary company doesn’t seek balance between short term and long term. A visionary company...aims to be distinctly yin and yang; both at the same time, all the time.

The problem is not the problem; the problem is how we think about the problem

<ul><li>Connect competing demands to individual goals. </li><li>Train leaders in paradox mindsets.</li><li>Help employees recognize tensions in their roles.</li><li>Build skills in conflict and vulnerability. </li><li>Make tensions tangible at individual levels.</li></ul>

Personalize Paradoxes

<ul><li>Truth is not singular - there are multiple realities.</li><li>"Yes, and" thinking respects others' views without agreeing.</li><li>Build on alternate perspectives to expand thinking.</li><li>Move from trying to control problems to coping amidst uncertainty.</li><li>Paradoxes persist; they cannot be permanently resolved.</li><li>Accept ambiguity.</li></ul>

Navigating Conflict 

<ul><li>Leaders face daily paradoxical dilemmas like tell or ask, step in or back.</li><li>The tug of war between conflicting options creates discomfort.</li><li>Rather than choosing either/or, reframe to embrace "this AND that" thinking.</li><li>There is a third space where opposites coexist synergistically.</li></ul>Starbucks doesn't have to trade off fast service and communal space but accommodates both.

Leadership Dilemmas as Paradoxes

There are four types of paradoxes, involving competing tensions:<ol><li>Performing paradoxes (goals)</li><li>Learning paradoxes (change)</li><li>Belonging paradoxes (identity)</li><li>Organizing paradoxes (structure)</li></ol>For instance, learning paradoxes balance exploiting current success and exploring future innovation. Belonging paradoxes raise opposing roles and values.

Four Types of Paradoxes

Both/And Thinking is a book written by Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis . It was published on August 9, 2022 by Harvard Business Review Press . The book delves into the concept of "both/and" thinking and how it can help individuals and organizations become more creative, flexible, and effective at solving problems.  Authors Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis introduce the concept of "both/and" thinking as a way to break free of binary thinking and embrace more creative and effective problem-solving.

An insightful and inspiring book on using "both/and" thinking to make more creative, flexible, and impactful decisions in a world of competing demands.Life is full of paradoxes. How can we each express our individuality while also being a team player? How do we balance work and life? How can we improve diversity while promoting opportunities for all? How can we manage the core business while innovating for the future?For many of us, these competing and interwoven demands are a source of conflict. Since our brains love to make either-or choices, we choose one option over the other. We deal with the uncertainty by asserting certainty.There's a better way.In Both/And Thinking, Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis help readers cope with multiple, knotted tensions at the same time. Drawing from more than twenty years of pioneering research, they provide tools and lessons for transforming these tensions into opportunities for innovation and personal growth.Filled with practical advice and fascinating stories—including firsthand tales from IBM, LEGO, and Unilever, as well as from startups, nonprofits, and even an inn at one of the four corners of the world—Both/And Thinking will change the way you approach your most vexing problems.

communication

Communication

teamwork

Teamwork

books

Books

Wendy Smith

Marianne Lewis

Both/And Thinking

Each of us has hundreds of stories we could tell. How do we know which one to pursue? Think back to moments in your life that really shifted you in some way.Big decisions are a good place to find stories; so are embarrassing moments and mistakes. Think of a time you did something but it didn't go as planned. Within these kinds of prompts, you can begin to explore moments of vulnerability.

Select a Meaningful Story

<ul><li>Our lives are filled with storytelling, from the stories we tell our friends over dinner, to the ones we tell at eulogies, during toasts, at job interviews and on dates.</li><li>Stories help us relate to each other and build community.</li><li>Leveling up our storytelling game can lead to more meaningful connections.</li></ul>Here's their step-by-step guide on how to tell a story, from an idea to delivery.

The Art Of Storytelling

A good rule of thumb is to start in the action of the story – this will draw people in. From there, ask yourself if you'll tell your story in chronological order, if you'll start at the end and find your way back to the beginning, or if you want, tell it in a series of flashbacks instead of a linear structure.Don't worry about getting too fancy with the structure – often, telling a story chronologically is the best way to go.

Figure out The Structure

Does the story you want to tell have a beginning, a middle and an end? Does it have tension? Does it show some sort of transformation? These are the basic elements that make an anecdote blossom into a full-bodied story.When you're telling a story, you aren't just describing what happened when you walked into the coffee shop and saw your ex on a date. You're telling us how that moment felt emotionally, how you were affected, how you reacted and how you're a different person after having endured that moment.

Understand that A Story Is More than A Scene or An Anecdote

Once you find the story you want to tell, put it under a magnifying glass to blow it up big. Where were you (physically, mentally, emotionally) at that moment? How did it impact your life? What were the results?Remember that in any great story you're not just sharing events that happened, you're also sharing the thoughts and feelings running through you during those events.

Develop Your Story

<ul><li>By this point, you know the moment your story is centered on, what the stakes or tensions are and how you want to tell the story. Writing the ending can be the hardest part.</li><li>You just have to end the story in a different place than where you began.</li><li>The key to a good ending is showing the audience your transformation over the course of the story, even if it's a slight transformation.</li></ul>

Understand how You've Changed by The End

If you're considering telling a story rooted in vulnerability or trauma, it's important to consider whether you're emotionally ready to share that story.Here are some signs you might not be ready to tell a story publicly:<ul><li>if you get stuck on one scene and aren't able to come out of it because you're reliving it – this can happen with traumatic events and could be a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder. </li><li>if it's tough to find an ending to a story, it may mean that you're still living it. You might need to "press pause" and return to the story when you've had more time to process it.</li></ul>

Ask Yourself if You're Ready to Share the Story

Keep it short and tight. If you're telling a story in a more interactive environment, like over dinner, remember that the purpose of storytelling is to engage with others. It's not about taking the spotlight for the entire time you're with someone. You want to offer a jumping-off point for someone else to share their own story, too.

Remember that Storytelling Is Not About the Storyteller – It's About Connection

It's natural to feel nervous before sharing a story aloud. Become very familiar with your story. Practice enough to be comfortable telling it from memory, but the Moth team recommends that you don't memorize it word for word. If you memorize it verbatim, your delivery can sound stiff and you might go blank.A good strategy is to really learn the words you want to use for the beginning and end of your story, but keep your notes in between as bullet points. That way you can naturally fill the gaps, but you have your most important elements well-rehearsed.

Don't Memorize Stories. They Are Meant To Be Alive

Storytelling creates connections and builds community. In this episode of Life Kit, storytelling coaches from The Moth give a step-by-step guide to telling good stories.

How to tell a captivating story — from a wedding toast to a job interview : Life Kit

We can all be better communicators and presenters and humans when we remember:<ul><li>We don’t like messages that remind us we aren’t in control.</li><li>We don’t like to feel pressure to conform.</li><li>We need tough messages to be delivered calmly.</li><li>We like to have choices.</li><li>We don’t want to be bombarded with communication.</li></ul>

Becoming better communicators

<ul><li>Understand what you are asking: this means understanding your message from the perspective of the audience. And then, it’s creating a targeted and effective message based on that understanding.</li><li>Soften your delivery when the content is tough: If the content is already tough, the delivery needs to be softer.</li><li> Don’t oversell or overcommunicate. You might think that more communication, more messages, a longer presentation will help you persuade the audience and assure our intended response. Research shows that’s not the case.</li></ul>

How to avoid the Boomerang Effect

The boomerang effect happens when you deliver a message hoping to produce a certain response or reaction, but the reaction turns out to be the opposite of what you had hoped it would be.Some of it stems from a natural desire not to conform. For those who have a stronger natural inclination to assert their autonomy and independence, doing the opposite of what you are asked or told is a way to communicate that you are in control. The boomerang effect is also sometimes called the psychological reactance theory.

The Boomerang Effect

The boomerang effect theory shows that our messages can sometimes produce the opposite effect of what we had hoped. Let's learn more.

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

The fantasy genre offers escapism from our lives into a different world where you can forget about the real problems surrounding your everyday life.
Children's fantasy are appealing to filmmakers. The authors explore a depth in their stories and characters that give screenwriters rich material to further expand the author's vision—for example, the successful The Hobbit trilogy and Rowling's Harry Potter.

Fantasy remains popular

Imagination is an essential feature in children's fantasy books. Cinematographers and animators have an abundance of artistic ideas to work from. For example, Studio Ghibli built its filmmaking legacy on children's books, such as Howl's Moving Castle and Kiki's Delivery Service, and turned the stories into visual masterpieces.

The visual element of children's fantasy books

Fantasy is a genre that has dominated children’s literature over the years, with JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins spearheading the way in the crossover realm of book to film adaptation. So why is cinema recreating their fantastical lands? And what does the future hold?

Both/And Thinking

How to tell a captivating story — from a wedding toast to a job interview : Life Kit

The Boomerang Effect

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

Why are so many children's fantasy books adapted as films?

Both/And Thinking

How to tell a captivating story — from a wedding toast to a job interview : Life Kit

The Boomerang Effect

It's time to Read like a Pro.

Why are so many children's fantasy books adapted as films?

It's time to
Read like a Pro.