Learning the Art of Possibility

Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS What's "Possibility"? How do you live a life of possibility? What's possible when you live a life of possibility? How do you learn to live a life of possibility? Should these questions be of importance to you, then these are what you can turn to: (a) the book The Art of Possibility-Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander (Harvard Business School Press, 2000) and (b) two video-based training programs (Leadership: An Art of Possibility and Attitude: Radiating Possibility). I have read the book several times and have conducted six programs using the videos and their respective leader's guides. Based on my own experience of practicing what the Zanders teach in these, and listening to reports of those who I have trained, I am convinced of the enormous difference the book and the videos can make to your life! The Book Let me begin with giving you a glimpse of two different worlds that the Zanders base their thoughts on-the world of measurement and the universe of possibility. The dominant paradigm of our everyday world is characterized by assessments, standards, grades, comparisons, competition, win-lose, and so on. The Zanders call this the "world of measurement." Regarding this world, they say, "All the manifestations of the world of measurement-the winning and losing, the gaining of acceptance and the threatened rejection, the raised hopes and the dash into despair-all are based on a single assumption that is hidden from our awareness (italics added). The assumption is that life is about staying alive and making it through-surviving (italics in the original) in a world of scarcity and peril. Even when life is at its best in the measurement world, this assumption is the backdrop for the play, and… it keeps the universe of possibility out of view." (p. 18) In this world, we impose constraints on our lives, we live within boxes, and "…virtually everybody, whether living in the lap of luxury or in diminished circumstances, wakes up in the morning with the unseen assumption that life is about struggle to survive and get ahead in a world of limited resources." (p.19

Communicating collaborative leadership

“…However, leaders always shape the group along certain lines by the way they frame the situation and place themselves in it (Grint, 2005;Trousdell, 1992). Explicating a vision provides a framework for possibilities for a group (Zander & Zander, 2000). In this case, David instilled his vision of the performance although his vision evolved as a result of the group collaboration with the cast and production staff.…”

“…Collaboration can and should be a process that permeates group relationships so that leadership can come from anyone in the group (Knopf, 2006;Zander & Zander, 2000). That type of collective leadership is effective because it makes use of the diverse expertise of all the group members (Friedrich et al, 2006) and can even overcome weaknesses of designated leaders (Kramer, 2006).…”

“…Collaborative leadership involves relinquishing control to the performers so that power is redefined with less of a traditional hierarchy (e.g., Herrington, 2000). A leader must be prepared to allow collaborative leadership to occur from any person involved in the creative endeavor (Zander & Zander, 2000). It can be challenging for leaders who see performances as extensions of themselves to relinquish control to allow for collaboration (Knopf, 2006).…”

“…Leaders make collaboration possible by defining or framing situations or problems in particular ways (Grint, 2005;Zander & Zander, 2000). They become curators of talent who motivate group members to action rather than givers of directives and orders (Bennis, 1999).…”

Constricted and Constructed Potentiality: An Inquiry Into Paradigms of Change

“…Another interpretive option is always available; the fact that individuals are able to create one interpretation ''is evidence that they can create another'' (Foss et al, 2007, p. 225). As Zander and Zander (2000) explain, ''Once you have begun to distinguish that it's all invented, you can create a place to dwell where new inventions are the order of the day. Such a place we call 'the universe of possibility''' (p. 17).…”