Book Summary
By Colleen Kappeler
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
By Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
The book for September’s TED event at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection, is The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander. This national bestseller takes the approach of looking at art and life through the lens of possibility rather than limited thought and negativity. Each of the chapters is a new lesson on how to accomplish this task and make this idea more a part of our lives. Each lesson is accompanied by several personal examples from the Zander’s personal and professional experiences. And, what will be interesting to discuss at the TED meeting on September 24th, is that each lesson and idea can be applied to things we have going on right here in the Kenosha / Racine area.
The Zanders give readers twelve steps to inviting possibility into our lives and work. The book is easy to read, well outlined, and gives good examples to lead creative thinking in both personal and business manners. Below is a brief outline of each step and what it encompasses. Some of them obviously relate more to us depending on where we are in life and work, but all offer an opportunity to approach situations, that could become negative, and see the possibilities.
It’s All Invented
Everything we experience in life comes to us through a filter of stories we have created, experiences we have gone through, and constructions we have developed. So the way we see situations is already determined and set, before we even have a chance to choose. The question then becomes, how we can get ourselves to a place where we once again choose how to see things; where we can see the possibility rather than the story we’re telling ourselves.
A simple way to practice it’s all invented is to ask yourself this question:
What assumptions am I making,
That I’m not aware I’m making,
That gives me what I see? (pg. 15)
The example that exemplifies this is given at the beginning of the chapter:
A shoe factory sends two marketing scouts to a region of Africa to study the prospects for expanding business. One sends back a telegram saying,
SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES
The other writes back triumphantly,
GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES (pg. 9)
Stepping Into a Universe of Possibility
Once we realize how much we “create” our situations through our stories and experiences, we can begin to be aware and open ourselves up to possibility instead of negativity and lack. Instead of seeing limited resources around us (limited audiences, limited income opportunities, etc.) we learn that there is great possibility out there and “you are more likely to extend your business and have a fulfilled life if you have the attitude that there are always new customers out there…rather than that money, customers, and ideas are in short supply” (21).
Giving an A
One of the main principles created and followed by the Zanders was a controversial decision for Benjamin to give every student in his music class an A at the beginning of the semester. The students are then asked to write a letter within the first two weeks, projecting themselves at the end of the semester, as to why they got an A. The premise is that by taking the pressure out of “achieving” an A, and therefore the possibility for failing and the need to play safe, the door is open for possibility. The controversy lay in the idea that, without working for a grade the students would not participate to their fullest. However, the opposite proved true. By receiving an A immediately, the pressure to play it safe was off and the students moved beyond their comfort zones and into creating more than they may have otherwise. The Zanders include this idea so that we may all look around us and try giving As immediately to those whom we are involved with on personal and business levels. Expecting that people are already A people allows them to rise to the occasion rather than feel the ever-present feeling of failure and disappointment being right around the corner. “In fact,” Ben says on page 31, “I actively train my students that when they make a mistake, they are to lift their arms in the air, smile, and say, ‘How fascinating!’ I recommend that everyone try this.”
Giving everyone an A also removes the bias credentials by which we earn As in this world. What an A usually signifies is the ability to match your work to the desires, thoughts, and appreciation of the person who is grading (or judging). This does not allow for a lot of creative, independent thought and exploration. And when we give others in our lives As, we take away the negative stories we are telling ourselves and instead see their potential and what they have done or tried to do to the best of their ability.
Being a Contribution
From our earliest days, we understand that there are tasks ahead of us to accomplish and landmarks to achieve. Life often looks like an obstacle course. In order to maximize success, we spend a good deal of time discussing what stands in the way of it. (55)
Looking at how we can contribute takes away the fears and constrictions of failure and success. Instead of judging ourselves by other people’s standards, where we are never good enough, we “wake up each day and bask in the notion that (we) are a gift to others” (58). So instead of placing judgments and barriers on your life, jump in instead and see yourself as someone who makes a difference – and act like it too! This approach can dramatically reduce conflicts and bring many rewarding experiences into both your personal and professional life.
Leading from Any Chair
As conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Zander uses many stories that come from his experience with music, musicians and the orchestra. In this step he talks about the possibility involved in, and the ability to lead from, any chair in the orchestra. Zander explains the desire to become “First Violinist” and how it seems that that is where the leadership and talent really lie. However, through his many years working with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as well as training with other orchestras around the world, he has come to learn that leadership lies in the individual and their perception of their potential. He has met several Second Chairs who are as good if not better leaders than their coveted First Chair counterparts – it’s all in self-perception.
Rule Number 6
If everyone could take a moment in their personal and professional lives to remind themselves of Rule Number 6, the world could be a much more peaceful place and we could find quicker ways around challenges and conflicts that arise. What is Rule Number 6? Lighten Up! Remembering to lighten up may even help those around you to light up as well (80).
Remembering Rule Number 6 can help us distinguish (and hold at some remove) the part of ourselves that developed in the competitive environment of the “measurement world”…..we’ll call it our calculating self. One of its characteristics…is that it lobbies to be taken very seriously indeed. When we practice Rule Number 6, we coax this calculating self to lighten up, and by doing so we break its hold on us. (81)
Zander explains that the calculating self is always aware of its survival in “a world of scarcity” (81). When one person has the ability to stop taking themselves so seriously, they often create an environment where others can do the same. When we stop taking ourselves so seriously, we are able to look at situations and people we are involved with and see new ways that we can participate and create solutions instead of “fighting for survival.”
The Way Things Are
Being present to the way things are is not the same as accepting things as they are in (a) resigned way….It doesn’t mean you should drown out your negative feelings or pretend you like what you really can’t stand. It simply means, being present without resistance: being present to what is happening and present to your reactions, no matter how intense. (100).
There are so many times in life when things aren’t working the way we think they should or people aren’t doing what we think they should. When we stop and look at the situation, recognizing that this, what is happening right now, is the way things are, then we can become open for solutions and begin to work proactively within the situation rather than stubbornly fighting against what we don’t like or want. Then, instead of looking at and discussing everything from the position of a downward spiral (all that is wrong), we can speak and act with possibility! “We start from what is, not from what should be….” (111).
Giving Way to Passion
How can we live passionately? First by letting go of barriers that are holding us back, whether real or imagined. And secondly by participating wholly in what is.
The access to passion gives momentum to efforts to build a business plan, it gives a reason to set up working teams, it gives power to settling individual demands, and it gives urgency to communicating across sections of a company (people suddenly remember why they are there). 119
Zander shares a story of just such passion. While working with a cellist who was auditioning for associate principal cellist of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, he helped this man, Marius, move beyond his singularly brilliant playing and into a new realm of playing where Marius threw caution to the wind and played from the soul. When that happened, Zander said, “There, that’s it. If you play that way, they won’t be able to resist you.” Later that evening, as Marius left for the night, Zander called out, “Remember, Marius, play it the second way!”
Three weeks later (Marius) telephoned.
“How did it go, Marius?” I was eager to know.
“Oh,” he said, “I didn’t make it.”
“What happened?” I asked, as I prepared to console him.
He answered matter-of-factly, “I played the first way.”
“Never mind, Marius,” I said. “You will have other chances.”
“No, no, no,” he said. “You haven’t heard the whole story. I was so peesed off, I said, ‘Fock it, I’m going to Madrid to play the audition for the principal cellist in the orchestra there!’ – and I won it, at twice the salary of the other job.”
“What happened?” I asked again, in amazement.
He laughed. “I played the second way!” (120-121)
After that, Zander adopted the phrase Beyond the F— It and used it in both his classes and speeches. In fact, it even became a catch phrase in a Catholic school he spoke at in California. When passion comes into play and we go Beyond the F— It, we can accomplish anything!
Lighting a Spark
“Lighting a Spark” is about enrolling others into our activities and causes. “Enrolling is not about forcing, cajoling, tricking, bargaining, pressuring, or guilt-tripping someone into doing something your way. Enrollment is the art and practice of generating a spark of possibility for others to share” (125).
When we change the way we see situations, from scarcity to abundance, and see others as willing participants, making them feel valuable and necessary, we enroll them in the process and possibility. We literally “light a spark” in others with our own visions of possibility.
Being the Board
When the way things are seems to offer no possibility; when you are angry and blocked, and, for all your efforts, others refuse to move or cooperate, to compromise, or even to be halfway decent; when even enrollment does not work and you are at your wit’s end – you can take out this next practice: our graduate course in possibility. In this one, you rename yourself as the board on which the whole game is being played. You move the problematic aspect of any circumstance from the outside world inside the boundaries of yourself. With this act you can transform the world. (141)
Though it may sound like it, this does not mean you are taking all the responsibility onto yourself. What it means is accepting yourself as the “framework” for everything that happens in your life. This does not mean letting others get away with bad behavior or letting injustices go unpunished, it means looking at the role we play in our lives and the way we create our thought patterns and therefore shape our world. Being accountable for our role in life and in each situation can be hard, but it can also open the door to the possibility of healing and moving forward.
Creating Frameworks for Possibility
Once we create a framework for possibility we have a way to charter through situations that seem overwhelming or present challenges. Zander’s advice is to follow three steps in framing possibilities:
- Make a new distinction in the realm of possibility: one that is a powerful substitute for the current framework of meaning that is generating the downward spiral.
- Enter the territory. Embody the new distinction in such a way that it becomes the framework for life around you.
- Keep distinguishing what is “on the track” and what is “off the track” of your framework for possibility.(163)
Once we create this framework we have a vision which is powerful. A vision can take an organization from the downward spiral into a world of new possibilities. Many organizations use the term vision interchangeably with mission statement, but Zander asserts that mission statements are “expressions of competition and scarcity” (168) while visions are possibilities where there is no “right” or “wrong” and instead a bigger picture with the potential for high success. “A vision is an open invitation and an inspiration for people to create ideas and events that correlate with its definitional framework” (171).
Telling the WE Story
The final step is about defining “human beings in a specific way: It says we are our central selves seeking to contribute, naturally engaged, forever in a dance with each other. It points to relationship rather than to individuals….” (183). When we approach a situation with WE instead of I, we create a story of possibility and abundance and begin looking for common threads and how to tie our best interests into one, rather than looking at situations from a viewpoint of scarcity and personal attainment.
Possibility
The Zanders make a clear case for the possibilities that abound in our world, our lives, our relationships, and our organizations. Each step, intertwined with the ones before and after it, gives more guidance on how to reach that potential. In a community such as Kenosha where we are in the process of redefining who we are as a town, it is easy to create groups and therefore perpetuate the idea that there is scarcity that we must all fight to get our hands on. However, if we approach the changing environment from a standpoint of possibility, perhaps we will see the abundance that is truly available and how to achieve the best goals for everyone involved.
The August 
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