Higher Unlearning: 39 Post-Requisite Lessons for Achieving a Successful Future [Hardcover]

Jack Uldrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2011

In this highly provocative book, best-selling author, global futurist and the iconoclastic ''Chief Unlearning Officer,'' Jack Uldrich turns the world as you know it or think you know it on its head and makes the compelling case that unlearning will be the most critical skill for conquering the brave, new world of the 21st century.

Readers will uncover the following gems: What you do know is more likely kill you than what you don't know, Playing it safe is the riskiest thing you can do, Imperfection trumps perfection, You must bite the hand that feeds you, Failure is the key to success, Following the money can cause you to lose money, Zoning out is preferable to zoning in, Ignorance lies at the heart of wisdom.

After reading this book and digesting its 39 pearls of wisdom, readers will not only possess a clearer view of the world, they will stripped away years of well-intentioned but misguided conventional wisdom that has hindering rather than helping them achieve a successful future.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Uldrich is an acclaimed global futurist, compelling keynote speaker and best-selling author. His past works include The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business; Jump the Curve: 50 Strategies to Help Your Company Stay Ahead of Emerging Technology and, most recently, Unlearning 101: 101 Lessons in Thinking Inside-Out the Box. He is the president and ''Chief Unlearning Officer'' of The Unlearning Curve an international consultancy designed to help organizations succeed tomorrow by unlearning today.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Beavers Pond Press (June 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592984134
• ISBN-13: 978-1592984138
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #895,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlearning is Essential for Success! August 29, 2011

By Simon J. Anderson

Format:Hardcover

In his new book, "Higher Unlearning," Jack Uldrich presents some powerful examples of how important unlearning is both to our personal and professional lives. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we too often only see what we expect to see and follow our (quite often incorrect) intuition. As advancements in technology accelerate, following the principles set forth in "Higher Unlearning" will only become more and more important. I think this book is a must-read for people in all walks of life, from corporate executives to entrepreneurs to people just beginning their careers.

Throughout the book the author offers eye-opening examples and even "homework assignments" that immediately help you see how critical it is to have an open mind and recognize the need to unlearn. I have definitely become more aware of the many "facts" I took for granted, but actually need to unlearn, since reading this book!

Read this book and you will not be disappointed- and more importantly- after applying even just a few of the lessons in the book, you will be surprised by both what you thought you knew that was actually wrong, and what you didn't even know you didn't know!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Worth What You Pay for It on Kindle! June 18, 2012

By Dick

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Around 1975, I read a book titled "An Introduction to General Systems Thinking" by Gerald M. Weinberg. Like Uldrich's book each chapter started with a quote. The first chapter of it had a quote credited to Will Rogers: "It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so." I think this quote may also be credited to Mark Twain and similar quotes come from scholars before the time of Christ. For me, it is the single most important quote from anyone. It is the essence of Mr. Uldrich's book and is the reason I read "Higher Unlearning".

First, I would like to say that if "Higher Learning" introduces a person to the concept of the Will Rogers quote it is worth the Kindle price on Amazon. Past that, I think the book can be summed up just by reading the first question and seeing how poorly worded it is. The question and multiple choice answers do not quite go together (This question is in the free sample from Amazon.) From this point I started to question whether Mr. Uldrich was a logical thinker.

The book consists of a bunch of what I would call "trick questions" which most people will answer incorrectly. I did not get them all right but several I got right because I had seen them before. Question 3 about "What do you see?" is in the 1975 Weinberg book along with reference to the origin of the picture. The other reason I got several questions right was that I am an engineer and have some knowledge of probability calculations. I am not convinced that Mr. Uldrich got them all right either. Lack of references makes his claim of "scientific studies" very shallow.

But the main problem I see with the book is not with whether the book is well grounded with scientific fact. What I see is that Mr. Uldrich seems to imply he has found a way to solve the problems implied by the Will Rogers et al. quote. My 35 years of thinking about "what I do not know" has only led me to believe that all our knowledge is a process and is ever changing. "What we know that ain't so" is just as elusive as it was centuries ago. I think Mr. Uldrich's implied knowledge just ain't so. It has as much value as studying yesterday's winning lottery numbers. I would suggest that Weinberg's book is much more worthwhile.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Consider what's in the box before thinking outside of it August 28, 2011

By Francie (San Antonio)

Format:Hardcover

When told to Think Outside the Box, I've never questioned the correctness of what was inside the box. I assumed what I knew was correct and I all I needed to do was apply it in new and innovating ways.

Jack Uldrich makes me look at my assumed knowledge and recognize that all I know may not be true. Therefore, before looking outside the box, look inside the box. Toss out old misinformation and assumptions; restock it with, amoung other things, the ability to:
-- Accept failure as a good thing;
-- Question what you believe to be true; and
-- Realize as a mentor to younger people, you, too, can be well mentored by a younger
person.

This book is a fast read, if you don't stop to contemplate all the implications of the 39 points made in the book. So, read it through once, then go back and read it again, and again. It's well worth it.