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  • Black Box Thinking

  • The Surprising Truth About Success
  • Written by: Matthew Syed
  • Narrated by: Simon Slater
  • Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (57 ratings)

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Black Box Thinking

Written by: Matthew Syed
Narrated by: Simon Slater
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Publisher's Summary

When was the last time you experienced a sense of failure? Did you brush it off, or allow it to knock you down? Or did you use it as an opportunity to learn and grow? 

Columnist for The Times and best-selling author of Bounce: The myth of talent and the power of practice Matthew Syed argues that the key to success is a positive attitude to failure. 

What links the Mercedes Formula One team with Google? What links Dave Braisford's Team Sky and the aviation industry? What is the connection between the inventor James Dyson and the footballer David Beckham? They are all Black Box Thinkers. 

Whether developing a new product, honing a core skill or just trying to get a critical decision right, Black Box Thinkers aren't afraid to face up to mistakes. In fact they see failure as the very best way to learn. Rather than denying their mistakes, blaming others or attempting to spin their way out of trouble, these institutions and individuals interrogate errors as part of their future strategy for success. 

How many of us, hand on heart, can say that we have such a healthy relationship with failure? Learning from failure has the status of a cliché, but this book reveals the astonishing story behind the most powerful method of learning known to mankind and reveals the arsenal of techniques wielded by some of the world's most innovative organizations. 

Their lessons can be applied across every field - from sport to education, from business to health. Using gripping case studies, exclusive interviews and really practical takeaways, Matthew Syed - the award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Bounce - explains how to turn failure into success and shows us how we can all become better Black Box Thinkers. 

©2015 Matthew Syed (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton

What listeners say about Black Box Thinking

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A must read for everyone

This book is a must read for everyone including teenagers. This book covers a core trait of successful people that most of us don't realize. Delivered in an easy to absorb format.

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will change the way you look at failure

this book was recommended by founder of Spotify and I'm glad I had a chance to have read it, it is an eye opener and a cautious nudge for anyone that persists on looking at failures as roadblocks rather than an opportunity to be steered towards growth.

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A must read standard for Continuous Improvement

Embrace outcomes, measure, learn, repeat and do not be afraid of failure, be suspect of early success.

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