The Art Of The Possible

The Art of the Possible Create an Organization with No Limitations offers instructive insight into what works in business, revealing how a few simple tenets can build long-standing excellence and success. An easy-to-use integrated leadership and management guide, this book revolves around the fact that strong, effective leadership is a requirement for any company hoping to become--or remain--relevant and competitive in the twenty-first century's fast-paced business environment. Author Daniel M. Jacobs is one of the nation's leading authorities on public contracting, a position that comes with a considerable wealth of knowledge. In The Art of the Possible, he distills decades of front-line experience from the corporate world into seven chapters. Each explores one of seven practical and proven best practices: get focused, surround yourself with talent, think strategically, forge a high-performance team, manage the fundamentals, maintain discipline, and communicate. Packed with useful guidelines, checklists, and self-assessment tools, the primary objective of this straightforward book is to move the reader to action and to create an organization where things get done. Jacobs includes plenty of real-world examples and success stories, and his determined focus on the positive underscores the importance of hard work and commitment to the improvement of management performance. His seven best practices can be applied across a broad spectrum of businesses, from private industry and government agencies to non-profits and civic organizations, making The Art of the Possible: Create an Organization with No Limitations an indispensable resource for today's developing leaders. Hailed by business leaders as "the kind of book that you really use to solve real problems and achieve real and lasting success" and "a relentless course for success using a step-by-step, straightforward, no-nonsense approach for the creation of an organization with no limits," this concise how-to is a must-read for anyone facing the unique challenges of today's economy.

A political insider tells us how we can make a difference. A must-read for fans of The Rebel Sell and Naomi Klein’s No Logo. What difference can one person make? If I’m not a famous actor, rock star, or multi-millionaire philanthropist, what do I really have to offer? The notion that the government is open only to a few is a myth. In fact, our political system is incredibly accessible, but the misguided belief that people can only participate through elections is threatening our democracy. Democracy is not only for the well-funded, the entrenched, or the few. If we are interested in seeing actual changes to policy, we need more reformers. Rather than rejecting government, The Art of the Possible demonstrates how working through government can be the most direct route to social progress. Having an impact is possible. It is a matter of knowing how government works and making sure your point of view is presented how and when it counts. During her time with the United Nations and Amnesty International, and as human rights adviser to two federal cabinet ministers, Amanda Sussman was offered a unique bird’s-eye view of government machinations. Through extensive interviews with insiders such as Joe Clark and Jack Layton and outsiders such as Alex Neve (Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada), Sussman offers the most comprehensive step-by-step advice on how and when to make the strongest possible argument for your cause.

In their playing you hear not only precision, color and balance, but thunder, lightning and the language of the heart. This is what the Boston Globe said about a performance by conductor Benjamin Zander with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, but it could apply equally to the Zanders' inspirational book, the product of a synthesis of the diverse worlds of the symphony orchestra and cutting-edge psychology. The Art of Possibility offers a set of breakthrough practices for creativity in all human enterprises. Infused with the energy of their dynamic partnership, the book joins together Ben's extraordinary talent as a mover and shaker, teacher, and communicator, with Rosamund Stone Zander's genius for creating innovative paradigms for personal and professional fulfillment. In lively counterpoint, the authors provide us with a deep sense of the powerful role that the notion of possibility can play in every aspect of our lives. The Zanders' deceptively simple practices are based on two premises: that life is composed as a story ("it's all invented") and that, with new definitions, much more is possible than people ordinarily think. The book shifts our perspective with uplifting stories, parables, and anecdotes from the authors' personal experiences as well as from famous and everyday heroes. From "Giving an A," to the mysterious "Rule Number 6," to "Leading from Any Chair"-the account of Ben's stunning realization that the conductor/leader's power is directly linked to how much greatness he is willing to grant to others-each practice offers an opportunity for personal and organizational transformation. The Art of Possibility provides a life-altering approach to fulfilling dreams large and small. The Zanders invite us all to become passionate communicators, leaders, and performers whose lives radiate possibility into the world. Rosamund Stone Zander is a family therapist and a landscape painter. Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor at the New England Conservatory of Music. Based on the principles developed through the authors' unique partnership, Mr. Zander gives presentations to managers and executives around the world and Ms. Zander conducts workshops for organizations on practicing the art of possibility.

We all know what a politician looks like, right? They're old people who wear suits and make long, boring speeches full of indecipherable words. Not so fast! As The Art of the Possible explains, everyone is a politician -- even young people who aren't yet eligible to vote. We all have influence over how politics function. But what are politics, and why do we need them? This book answers the universal query in nine short chapters that explain everything from why we form societies and the basic types of governments to the power of public opinion, methods of rhetoric, and the reasons why politicians "lie." Written in an accessible, conversational voice and packed with anecdotes and case studies from across history and around the world, this book helps foster independent thought and curiosity about how a government works -- or doesn't work. Readers will come away equipped with the knowledge they need to understand current events and elections, and maybe even be empowered to civic action themselves. Informational text features: table of contents, chapters, diagrams, sidebars, in-text definitions of key terms, glossary, index, and sources

First published in 2002. The Art of The Possible is a new study of the ideas and achievements of Booker T. Washington, the most influential African American leader of the period 1881-1915. Washington's program for racial uplift is assessed in the context of the key political, social and economic developments of his era, in a work which both incorporates original research and a systhesis of modern scholarship.

The Art of Possible reveals how the most unlikely of catalysts lead Kate Tojeiro to write a book about her experiences from working with some of the world's greatest leaders to interviewing the elite in sport and many inspirational people from all walks of life. Everyone irrespective of talent, wealth or privilege, has to face down their fears, conquering things that we may have considered impossible. It isn’t comfortable, but when we conquer it, it is what makes life truly memorable and really worth living. By asking the hard questions and examining how and why we do certain things, The Art of Possible encourages you to get comfortable with discomfort daily. Written as a journal, it is set out to help you get to the heart of whatever it is that you’re seeking to achieve and then find the techniques and actions that will make the difference to you. Do you want to: Do something you’ve always wanted to but never thought you could? Widen your horizons? Try something new ? Embrace new challenges? Conquer self-doubt, self-criticism and fear? Follow your dreams and passions? From her experience as an executive coach at global power-players, including Google, Accenture, Rio Tinto, Oracle and Barclays to interviews with the elite in sport, using the latest in neuroscience, Kate shares the actions that will enable you to realise your potential faster and more effectively. Kate Tojeiro is an executive coach to the boards, senior executives and teams at some of the largest global organizations, and also some of the most cutting edge, organically-grown start ups. She has built up a string of prestigious 100 and Fortune 500 Clients, is a regular fixture on BBC radio and a voice in the media.

"Adrienne Rich's new prose collection could have been titled The Essential Rich."—Women's Review of Books These essays trace a distinguished writer's engagement with her time, her arguments with herself and others. "I am a poet who knows the social power of poetry, a United States citizen who knows herself irrevocably tangled in her society's hopes, arrogance, and despair," Adrienne Rich writes. The essays in Arts of the Possible search for possibilities beyond a compromised, degraded system, seeking to imagine something else. They call on the fluidity of the imagination, from poetic vision to social justice, from the badlands of political demoralization to an art that might wound, that may open scars when engaged in its work, but will finally suture and not tear apart. This volume collects Rich's essays from the last decade of the twentieth century, including four earlier essays, as well as several conversations that go further than the usual interview. Also included is her essay explaining her reasons for declining the National Medal for the Arts. "The work is inspired and inspiring."—Alicia Ostriker "[S]o clear and clean and thorough. I learn from her again and again."—Grace Paley