>> Catching (and adjusting) our own narrow agendas is cool, but what about what >> we genuinely miss? And how much are we missing on any given day. Probably >> more than we are comfortable with.
It probably doesn't have all the answers but there's this book by Michael A Roberto: http://www.amazon.com/Know-What-You-Dont-Problems/dp/0131568159 An excerpt online: One cannot solve a problem that remains invisible—unidentified and undisclosed. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, problems remain hidden in organizations for far too long. We must find a problem before it can be addressed appropriately. Great leaders do not simply know how to solve problems. They know how to find them. They can detect smoke, rather than simply trying to fight raging fires. This book aims to help leaders at all levels become more effective problem-finders. - http://www.whartonsp.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1323472 The Amazon page has a 5-minute podcast by the author embedded in it. If you like it, I'd also recommend (apart from the book): http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=5932 I found it fascinating :-) > Playing devil's advocate somewhat, there's a cost as well as a > potential pay-off to not just playing along. Think of the > willing-to-be-a-rebel monkey 100 years later. "What's the real deal?" > the monkey asks. To find out, they have to apply intellectual thought > to get to a point of enquiry and then likely have cunning and/or > bravely to get any actual answers - e.g. by climbing to the top > despite the barrage and then by having the conviction to say "but the > banana was lovely and the only downside was you unnecessarily beating > me" whilst everyone is stuck in the firm paradigm which demands > threatening anyone questioning The Truth. One story that jumps to mind is: Dr. Barry Marshall was so determined to convince the world that bacteria — not stress — caused ulcers that he drank a batch of it. Five days later he was throwing up, and he had severe stomach inflammation for about two weeks. It was just the result he was hoping for. His bold action over 20 years ago symbolized the perseverance Marshall brought to proving a controversial idea — one that gained the ultimate validation Monday as he and Dr. Robin Warren won the Nobel Prize in medicine. - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9576387/ Well, at least it had a happy ending :-)
