p.2"Big-picture thinkers are never satisfied with what they already know. They are always visiting
new places, reading new books, meeting new people, learning new skills. And because of that practice, they are often
able to connect the unconnected. They are lifelong learners."
p.6"Thomas Fuller, chaplain to Charles II of England, observed, 'He that is everywhere is nowhere.'
To get things done, you need to focus. However, to get the right things done, you also need to consider the big picture. Only
by putting your daily activities in the context of the big picture will you be able to stay on target. As Alvin Toffler says,
'You've got to think about 'big things' while you're doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.'
"
p.18"The mind will not focus until it has clear objectives. But the purpose of goals is to focus
your attention and give you direction, not to identify a final destination."
p.35-36"Spend Time with Other Creative People... It's a fact that you begin to think like the people
you spend a lot of time with. The more time you can spend with creative people engaging in creative activities, the more creative
you will become."
p.36"Creative thinkers know that they must repeatedly break out of the 'box' of their own history
and personal limitations in order to experience creative breakthroughs.
The most effective way to help yourself get out of the box is to expose yourself to new paradigms... Read
broadly."
p.54"To become a better strategic thinker able to formulate and implement plans that will achieve
the desired objective, take the following guidelines to heart:
1. Break Down the Issue
The first step in strategic thinking is to break down an issue into smaller, more manageable parts
so that you can focus on them more effectively."
p.55"2. Ask Why Before How
When most people begin using strategic thinking to solve a problem or plan a way to meet an objective,
they often make the mistake of jumping the gun and trying to immediately to figure out how to accomplish it. Instead
of asking how, they should first ask why... Asking why helps you to open your mind to possibilities and
opportunities."
p.55-56"3. Identify the Real Issues and Objectives
William Feather, author of The Business of Life, said, 'Before it can be solved, a problem
must be clearly defined.' Too many people rush to solutions, and as a result they end up solving the wrong problem. To avoid
that, ask probing questions to expose the real issues. Challenge all of your assumptions... Begin asking, What else could
be the real issue?"
p.56"4. Review Your Resources... A strategy that doesn't take into account resources is doomed to
failure."
p.56"5. Develop Your Plan
How you approach the planning process depends greatly on your profession and the size of the challenge
that you're planning to tackle"
p.57"6. Put the Right People in the Right Place... 7. Keep Repeating the Process"
p.86"Donald M. Nelson, former president of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers,
criticized popular thinking when he asserted, 'We must discard the idea that past routine, past ways of doing things, are
probably the best ways. On the contrary, we must assume that there is probably a better way to do almost anything. We must
stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before cannot be done at all.' ... The bottom line? Popular thinking
brings mediocre results... We limit our success when we adopt popular thinking... You must reject common thinking if you want
to accomplish uncommon results." [JLJ - from Wikipedia, Donald Marr Nelson (1888-1959) was the executive vice president
of Sears Roebuck before accepting the position of director of priorities of the United States Office of Production Management
(1941-1942), and chairman of the War Production Board (1942-1944). He then served for two years (1945-47) as president of
the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers (SIMPP). Nelson died of a stroke in 1959. ]
