Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change
Beth Comstock with Tahl Raz
Currency/Penguin Random House (September 2018)

How to get comfortable with discomfort and uncomfortable with the tyranny of custom

In this book written with Tahl Raz, Beth Comstock explains why she is nourished and inspired by thought leaders such as Daniel Kahneman who once observed, “It’s a very difficult principle to grasp, this idea that actually what I don’t know matters enormously, and what I can’t see matters enormously. The interpretation of the world imposes itself on us. We have too much confidence in our beliefs, and it really is associated with a failure of imagination.”

I agree with Comstock that finding better answers to questions and better solutions to problems begins with having an ability and willingness to set aside assumptions and premises that limit our consideration. What Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham aptly characterize (in 1955) as “the unknown unknowns.” offer an excellent case in point. Basically, they are what we think we know or understand but in fact do not.

These are a few of Comstock’s most thoughtful and (better yet) thought-provoking insights:

On Self-Permission: “Shift mind-set. Every change-maker learns to give herself permission to push outside expectations and limitations.”

On Discovery: “Discovery is about infusing yourself with a spirit of inquiry and curiosity, turning the world into a classroom for learning and for unearthing ideas that can make change possible.”

On Agitated Inquiry: “Innovation is the result of seeking out tension., not avoiding it. It’s not about reassurance or consensus — it often encourages confrontation.”

On Storycraft: “You have to adapt your narrative to help people in an organization understand their world. That, in turn, will  change how they act in order to create a different, better future.”

On Creating a New OS: “Share a new mind-set, spreading ideas bottom-up and outside-in, finding dedicated agents of change within the company to make the story their own.”

Comstock offers an abundance of information, insights, and counsel but it remains for each reader to determine which of he material is most directly relevant to their own needs, interests, goals, objectives, and — yes — comfort level. Most people don’t fear change, they resent it because it requires them to accept ambiguity when asked to consider what is unfamiliar, if not threatening.

Change agents most have courage as well as vision, empathy as well as determination. Mohandas Gandhi once suggested, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Hence the importance of imagination.

At some point, Beth Comstock imagined writing a book in which she shared her thoughts about courage, creativity, and the power of change.” She imagined it forward to what you now have available. If you follow her example, you can imagine your own life forward…and help others to do so.