Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
A Harvard Business School professor reveals how the world's best decision-makers think, not just what they decide.
Most advice on decision-making answers the wrong question. It tells you what to do, when the real edge comes from learning how to think about what you're doing. In Dare to Think Differently, Gerald Zaltman, whose research into the unconscious mind is used by companies worldwide, draws on hundreds of in-depth interviews with senior leaders to uncover the unconscious mental habits that separate exceptional decision-makers from the rest.
As AI makes answers instant and abundant, judgment is what gives humans an edge. Zaltman shows readers how to build that edge through six research-based techniques for tapping the creative power of the unconscious: serious playfulness, befriending ignorance, asking the right discovery questions, chasing your curiosity, panoramic thinking, and the "voyager outlook."
Each chapter opens with a hands-on thinking exercise, mirroring the practice Zaltman developed for his Harvard Business School courses, designed to surface the hidden biases that quietly constrict your thinking. The result is a practical, science-backed framework for becoming a more open-minded, adaptable thinker in a world that increasingly rewards exactly that.
Who should read this book?
Executives & Managers: A clear set of questions for auditing any decision or action before you commit to it.
Students & Early-Career Professionals: How the most successful decision-makers actually approach their biggest challenges.
Anyone navigating the AI era: The metacognitive skills that keep your judgment, not just your knowledge, relevant as AI handles the routine answers.
In a world of abundant information and instant AI-generated answers, judgment has overtaken information-finding as the most valuable skill. Dare to Think Differently is a guide to building exactly that judgment, one unconscious insight at a time.
"Dare to Think Differently is a training manual for building skills and avoiding traps that lead to bad decisions, as well as a tour through wonderful paradoxes and dialectical juxtapositions that remind us of the folly of thinking too narrowly, linearly, defensively, or lazily. As ever, Zaltman is playfully up to some constructive mischief that, if taken seriously, can help us overcome some of the biggest problems we face as a species." —Scott McDonald, Advertising Research Foundation
"I loved reading Dare to Think Differently—Jerry Zaltman puts a fresh new lens on many constructs that I've used throughout my career. This book made me reflect on my own assumptions about what it means to be open-minded and the impact it can have on our decision making." —Clodagh Forde, The Coca-Cola Company
"Simply brilliant. Zaltman explains innovative techniques for tapping the vast experiences stored in your own unconscious mind and using them for better business and personal decision-making. Thinking techniques like 'Befriending Ignorance,' 'Serious Playfulness,' and 'Panoramic Thinking' are simple and practical." —Jagdish N. Sheth, Emory University
"This fascinating and original book won't tell you what to think. It will tell you how your mind would be more effective if ituses the six habits of an open mind.These habits are learnable with Zaltman's guiding exercises. I don't know another book like it." —Philip Kotler, Northwestern University
"Dare to Think Differently is a transformative guide that challenges traditional thinking patterns and encourages readers to embrace uncertainty, engage with ignorance, and enjoy ambiguity as powerful tools for growth. It's a must-read for anyone seeking to unlock their full creative potential." —Yoshi Fujikawa, Hitotsubashi University
"Zaltman provides thought-provoking exercises to help readers access new perspectives.... Business leaders will find this a valuable framework for navigating complex decisions." —Publishers Weekly