Just finished reading 'The Opposable Mind' by Roger Martin. The sub-head of the title is 'How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking'. I found the book interesting. It was first published in 2007. It found resonance with some of the things I had felt very strongly about and still do. The book talks about how seeming opposable ideas can be blended to find an alternative that is better than either of them. Basically it's about integrative thinking. It says the power is in 'and' and that 'either - or' thinking is limiting. Integrative thinking unleashes the creativity to bring out new and more effective solutions. The book is based on the author's interviews with leading business people of the world , as also successful people from non-business background. The leaders who have prominently featured are A.G. Lafley, the ex CEO of P&G, Issy Sharp of Four Seasons and many other such leaders including the one and only Peter Drucker. The favourite part of book for me was the quote from Drucker where he says that there are no marketing/Finance/HR/production decisions. There are only business decisions. Partss have got to make sense to the whole.
Personally, i have spent a lot of time telling myself that so so called opposites are not oppsites. It's possible to be rich and happy. It's possible to be honest and rich. It's possible to be caring and earning. It's possible to make profits and serve consumers. It's possible to be nice and win. It's possible to serve the society and make money. It's possible to be creative and effective. Infact one feeds the other. It'a not easy. But then, it's worth it. It's fulfilling. It's fun.
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