Book Club: Anatomy of a Breakthrough
“The first rule is that you will get stuck!” Brilliant. I already felt like I was in good company.
One of my favourite leadership books in recent times, Adam Atler takes us through real stories of high achieving, often famous people, who get stuck in their endeavours.
“People get stuck in every imaginable area of life. They get stuck in jobs they’d prefer to leave, and in relationships that leave them unfulfilled. They get stuck as writers, artists, composers, athlete’s, scientists, and entrepreneurs.”
In the introduction of Anatomy of a Breakthrough; Get unstuck and unlock your potential, Adam Atler explains the psychological phenomenon named by researchers Shai Davidai and Tom Gilovich as headwind/tail wind asymmetry; we pay far more attention to our barriers (or headwinds) than our blessings (or tailwinds). Not only is this a great nod to sailing and boats which aligns so well with the Even Keel Leadership brand but importantly it reminds us to stop and take stock of where our focus is and spend some time reflect on the positive achievements.
It was timely for me as I launched Even Keel Leadership, to read of concepts such as the plateau effect and the human tendency to avoid going backwards even if it will be quicker in the long run. To read of the incremental loss of love, trust, respect and safety through seemingly unimportant acts and decisions. “They’re pinpricks. They’re paper cuts. And that is the danger” (p47). To be comforted by the concept of doing less to overcome mental entrapment.
When I flip back through the pages, I find that I had underlined “Albert Einstein was obscenely productive, but his productivity came in bursts. Between those bursts, he was gentle wiith himself.” (p99). I loved this understanding of Einstein’s rhythm as it resonates with how I approach creative and impactful work.
The term “hardship inoculation” and “failing well” (p102-105) were other phrases I will carry with me. The idea that the more exposed you are to challenges, knock backs and set backs, the easier it is to deal with especially if you expose yourself when losing doesn’t matter as much. Elite sports people employ this approach (sometimes unknowingly) with their coaches. Unsurprisingly, Atler also notes that “Players with abusive coaches were less efficient and committed more technical fouls even ten years after escaping those coaches.” (p111) TEN YEARS AFTER!!! In addition, he notes that teachers who offered nine times more praise than criticism held the students who did the best. For all those who hold leadership positions, I hope you consider the impact you may have on a person and never fall into the criticism trap.
As someone who loves the power of choreographed aerobics or dance for both physical benefits but also mental release, I underlined most of p227 as Atler discusses the power of movement to unstick and especially fluid movement.
And then if this book couldn’t get any better, the conclusion is a 100 dot point summary of the key messages throughout each chapter! Awesome ending for busy leaders who want to implement and refer back to the learnings within the book.
So all in all, yeah you could say I was a fan of this book!
Want to find out more about our book club? Head over here. Leadership Book Club
