On Being Unreasonable

Manners, order and respect... these are all ideals we subscribe to. In opposed positions, we ought to be able to 'agree to disagree'. Today's world is built from structures of standards and reason, but it is imperative to ask who constructed these norms, and why. We are more divided than ever before-along lines of race, gender, class, disability-and it's time to question who benefits the most. What if our propensity to measure human behaviour against rules and reason is actually more problematic than it might seem? Kirsty Sedgman shows how power dynamics and the social biases involved have resulted in a wide acceptance of what people should and shouldn't do, but they create discriminatory realities and amount to a societal façade that is dangerous for genuine social progress. From taking the knee to breastfeeding in public, from neighbourhood vigilantism to the Colston Four-and exploring ideas around ethics, justice, society, and equality along the way-Sedgman explores notions of civility throughout history up to now. On Being Unreasonable mounts a vital and spirited defence of why and how being unreasonable can help improve the world. It examines and parses the pros and cons of our rules around reason, but leaves us with the rousing question: What if behaving unreasonably at times might be the best way to bring about meaningful change that is long overdue?

Unorthodox success principles from a billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Broad's embrace of "unreasonable thinking" has helped him build two Fortune 500 companies, amass personal billions, and use his wealth to create a new approach to philanthropy. He has helped to fund scientific research institutes, K-12 education reform, and some of the world's greatest contemporary art museums. By contrast, "reasonable" people come up with all the reasons something new and different can't be done, because, after all, no one else has done it that way. This book shares the "unreasonable" principles—from negotiating to risk-taking, from investing to hiring—that have made Eli Broad such a success. Broad helped to create the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and The Broad, a new museum being built in downtown Los Angeles His investing approach to philanthropy has led to the creation of scientific and medical research centers in the fields of genomic medicine and stem cell research At his alma mater, Michigan State University, he endowed a full-time M.B.A. program, and he and his wife have funded a new contemporary art museum on campus to serve the broader region Eli Broad is the founder of two Fortune 500 companies: KB Home and SunAmerica If you're stuck doing what reasonable people do—and not getting anywhere—let Eli Broad show you how to be unreasonable, and see how far your next endeavor can go.

When you're reasonable, you use the same strategies everyone else uses. You do things like set your goals a bit higher than last year's, say yes to things because everyone else likes them, and pad your deadlines so you can reach them on time. Being reasonable about your business will only bury you deeper in the pack. If you want to get out in front, you have to break away from yesterday's conventional thinking. Paul Lemberg shows you how unreasonable strategies can bring you unprecedented success. Through real-life case studies of successful and unreasonable businesspeople, Lemberg shows you how to BE Uncompromising by sticking to your goals no matter what. BE Demanding by expecting more, not less, from everybody. BE Critical by changing old systems that just don' t work. BE Outrageous by creating your own Business Brain Trust. BE Prepared for real success on your terms. Paul Lemberg, one of the world's leading business growth consultants, teaches top level executives and entrepreneurs how to get more out of themselves, their companies, and their clients by using strategies that sidestep the prevailing business thinking. Being unreasonable is about assessing the situation and leaping into the unknown-not foolishly, but courageously. Only by going against the norm, and perhaps ruffling feathers, can you be competitive, innovative, and successful.

Renowned playwright George Bernard Shaw once said "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." By this definition, some of today's entrepreneurs are decidedly unreasonable--and have even been dubbed crazy. Yet as John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan argue in The Power of Unreasonable People, our very future may hinge on their work. Through vivid stories, the authors identify the highly unconventional entrepreneurs who are solving some of the world's most pressing economic, social, and environmental problems. They also show how these pioneers are disrupting existing industries, value chains, and business models--and in the process creating fast-growing markets around the world. By understanding these entrepreneurs' mindsets and strategies, you gain vital insights into future market opportunities for your own organization. Providing a first-hand, on-the-ground look at a new breed of entrepreneur, this book reveals how apparently unreasonable innovators have built their enterprises, how their work will shape risks and opportunities in the coming years, and what tomorrow's leaders can learn from them. Start investing in, partnering with, and learning from these world-shaping change agents, and you position yourself to not only survive but also thrive in the new business landscape they're helping to define.

"Unreasonable Leadership provides a blueprint of how to lead and forge change in all types of economic environments. Gary Chartrand's powerful message of redefining the game, creating new pathways where there are none, leading without fear and mobilizing teams to coalesce around a goal is a timeless tool and is a must read for all who would call themselves leaders." Carla Harris, author of Expect To Win "Unreasonable Leadership should be required reading in every business school. What Gary Chartrand did to build Acosta into a industry leading sales and Marketing Juggernaut is simply remarkable and so is this book." Jon Gordon, Best-selling author of The Energy Bus and Soup "This is a smart, thought-provoking approach to leadership and how to create the ideal environment for bringing about positive change and achieving meaningful results." Mitt Romney, Former Governor of Massachusetts Gary Chartrand's Unreasonable Leadership provides a blueprint for leaders who are driving change not only in the corporate sector but in the social sector as well. Gary describes what it takes to be a true pioneer, to achieve unprecedented, ground breaking results despite the complexity of the work and the enormity of the challenges. We've learned through Teach for America that Unreasonable Leadership is exactly what is required to transform our entrenched public education systems. Wendy Kopp, CEO and Founder of Teach For America Achieving a vision that seemed nearly impossible, having the courage to make difficult decisions, and leading with conviction transformed a company and its entire industry. Unreasonable Leadership charts the growth of Acosta Sales and Marketing, a food brokerage firm that grew from a one-state operation employing 11 people to an international sales and marketing agency employing a staff of more than 16,000 in the US and Canada. During a 12-year span, company sales grew from $3 billion to $60 billion. How did this happen? Acosta Chairman Gary Chartrand followed the advice of George Bernard Shaw: "All progress comes from unreasonable people." Chartrand's success as an unreasonable leader testifies to the value of setting a bold agenda, never being afraid to ask, and the critical importance of molding a corporate culture. His personal saga shows what can be accomplished no matter the odds of what "conventional wisdom" labels as impossible.

"Hyman George Rickover (1900-1986), born Chaim Godalia Rykover in the Polish shtetl of Maków-Mazowiecki in czarist Russia at the dawn of the 20th century, was an almost mythical figure in the United States Navy. A man of ferocious will, engineering brilliance, combative personality, and indefatigable work ethic, he personally oversaw the development of nuclear marine propulsion. During his thirty-five years as chief of Nuclear Reactors, Rickover abolished rank and uniform, insisting that "there is no hierarchy in matters of the mind." His disdain for naval regulations, indifference to the chain of command, and harsh, insulting language earned him enemies in the Navy, but his record of safety was unparalleled. From the launch of the U.S.S. Nautilus in 1954 to today, the U.S. nuclear Navy has never experienced an incident resulting in uncontrolled radiation release. Rickover oversaw numerous shipyards, nuclear laboratories, and a nuclear power school where he personally selected 5,000 officers for nuclear power training. Beyond Nuclear Reactors, Rickover drove a wholesale transformation of the faculty and curriculum at the U.S. Naval Academy, with academic ability and achievement in technical and scientific disciplines displacing traditional prerequisites for military leadership. Rickover's transformation of the United States Navy almost never took place. From his entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy in 1918, the service constantly tried to shake itself free of him - he persevered against anti-Semitism, promotion denials, and even a requirement to retire. Wortman explores the constant conflict Rickover faced and created, tracing how he ultimately ascended to the rank of four-star Admiral and revolutionized the Navy"--

What if you aren’t who you think you are? What if you don’t really know the people closest to you? And what if your most deeply-held beliefs turn out to be … wrong? In Stop Being Reasonable, philosopher and journalist Eleanor Gordon-Smith tells six lucid, gripping stories that show the limits of human reason. From the woman who realised her husband harboured a terrible secret, to the man who left the cult he had been raised in since birth, and the British reality TV contestant who, having impersonated someone else for a month, discovered he could no longer return to his former identity, all of the people interviewed radically altered their beliefs about the things that matter most. What made them change course? How should their reversals affect how we think about our own beliefs? And in an increasingly divided world, what do they teach us about how we might change the minds of others? Inspiring, perceptive, and often moving, Stop Being Reasonable explores the place where philosophy and real life meet. Ultimately, it argues that when it comes to finding out what’s true or convincing others about what we know, being rational might involve our hearts as well as our minds.

How do people of seemingly ordinary talent go on to achieve unexpected results? What can we learn from them? What are the ingredients for unreasonable success and how is it achieved? In this ground-breaking book, bestselling author Richard Koch charts a map of success, identifying the nine key attitudes and strategies can propel anyone to new heights of accomplishment. The pattern of success is fractal. It is endlessly varied but endlessly similar. Success does not require genius, consistency, all-round ability, a safe pair of hands or even basic competence. If it did, most of the people in this book would not have impacted the world as they did. Who could have predicted that Nelson Mandela, a once-obscure lawyer, could have averted disaster in South Africa, reconciling people of different heritages to each other and establishing a viable democracy? Or that Helena Rubinstein, a young woman growing up in the grotty ghetto of Kraków, could have changed the face of beauty throughout the world? Or that the illegitimate son of a notary would become one of the world's greatest painters, known universally by his first name, Leonardo? Successful people typically don't plan their success. Instead they develop a unique philosophy or attitude that works for them. They stumble across strategies which are shortcuts to success, and latch onto them. Events hand them opportunities they could not have anticipated. Often their peers with equal or greater talent fail while they succeed. It is too easy to attribute success to inherent, unstoppable genius. With this book, you can embark on a journey towards a new, unreasonably successful future.