Customer Reviews

Unstuck: A Tool for Yourself, Your Team, and Your World

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The book covers three principles: Admitting you're stuck, Diagnosing why you're stuck, Getting unstuck.

It does provide an excellent insight into systemic repair using aspects of a system: Purpose (central), Strategy, Structure + Process, Metrics + Rewards, People + Interaction, Culture

There are many organizations that don't get this, and center their efforts on only one aspect. The book, I found, more applicable to senior or departmental management rather than individuals.

The conscious employee that reads this would become more knowledgeable (actually more valuable) than their supervisor. Using the knowledge in this book, they would then become threatening to insecure management (of which I would say most management is - merely because most people go into management not because they wish to help others succeed, but rather because they are simply tired of working themselves).

If you are going to purchase the book, purchase it for your department supervisor, CIO, CFO, COO, CEO as well. Otherwise you're going be seen as a problem raising such enlightened ideas in an unenlightened environment.

This, is not the fault of the book, but rather the structures of organizations.

The book advocates identifying informal leaders, making use of silent influentials. However, it also advocates cultural change activities that require the kind of power that only formal leaders have in an organization. The problem is that most dysfunctional managers will not be interested in change, they will not seek out this kind of awareness and if you (as a less powerful employer) try to bring things like progressive awareness into the arena you will be punished.

The problem I found with the book is that it is attempting to tell how you (a regular person) can institute change, but requires that you (as a change agent) have formal power within the organization - a very unlikely scenario, unless you are a progressive maverick type CEO.

Unstuck is a great book for helping to get your team or your business back on track. Maybe you're not living up to your potential, or you sense there is a problem, but you're not sure what it is or how to fix it. With Unstuck, you first spend a little time diagnosing why you're stuck. The categories are explained really well, so it is easy to see where you fall. Once you know where your problem is coming from, there are over 100 pages of tools, techniques, and examples, including short case studies, that will help you get unstuck. What makes this book fun to read, in addition to the great design, is the fact that once you know what your problem is, it gives you page numebr for the ideas that will best help you. It is sort of like a choose-your-own-adventure book for grown-ups. Or you can read it all the way through for all of the ideas. The only thing that I wished were different was that I was searching for help getting out of a rut in my own life, and Unstuck focused on helping groups with problems.

I've actually read the book twice since receiving it as a gift (from my boss!). The first read took me cover to cover. On the second read, I "navigated" the book based on our organization's current challenges. I got the sense that this is how the book was written by the authors. For example, almost every page in the second half of the book contains 2-3 suggestions of where to go next based on how and why you are stuck. One of the final pages, cites "Recommended Paths" the authors have chosen for various types of being stuck. It's a brilliant book - whether you read it from start to finish or jump around. I recommend both!

I have not stopped returning to Unstuck since I read it 2 weeks ago. In very clear terms, the book helps you craft a road map to get your team (or your entire organization) on track. The first quarter of the book walks you through a series of diagnostic tools in which you assess your predicament. You leave with a clear diagnosis of how you're stuck - or, at the least, important insight into some of the "root causes." The authors call these the Serious Seven. The remainder, and majority of the book, provides dozens of tools, ideas, and examples for the reader to weave together based on their goals. Each page is a refreshing look at leadership, problem-solving, and system dynamics. Unstuck provides no overall panacea (read: if you need someone to tell you what to do, Unstuck is probably not for you). Rather, it presents the reader with a fresh, inventive toolkit to approach the all-to-familiar snags in work and life.

I found out about UNSTUCK when a friend mailed me a photocopy of page 58 - a first for me. Unfortunately, the authors did not put folios on each page - so I had to track down the book (oops!). It was worth all the effort. Since reading UNSTUCK, I find myself returning to the book every few days for ideas. The book is a very unique take on solving business problems (from idea generation to team dynamics) and I now recommend the book to colleagues in my industry and beyond. The tone and the design of the book are provocative and written to get people thinking. About strategy. About purpose. About teamwork. I love the fact that no one page in the book is the same. Some are filled with illustrations, others contain graphs and diagrams. When is the last time you saw photography in a business book? It's definitely worth the $15.

I have found this book to be a unique road map for working through problems.

I am currently using this book to try and solve some problems where I work.

At first glance, the book catches your eye for its bright cover, and inside as you leaf through it, it boasts unique images and in addition to the typical black and white, they employ a light green to add interest and help stimulate the senses as you work through the book.

The book can be used in a number of different ways. You can read it like any other book from front to back, or you can use the extensive Contents to find specific areas that appeal to you and go from there. This book definitely is non-linear. It is very well organized and the ideas and concepts are linked together very creatively. Everywhere you go in the book, there are links to other parts of the book that may help in solving your problems.

There are two distinct sections of the book, but again they end up linking back to each other.
The first section is the how and why. Identifying that there is a problem and finding the reasons for it. They describe these as: "Step 1: Admitting you're stuck" and "Step 2: Diagnosing why you are stuck". This is done by giving illustrations of a well oiled organization and allowing you to figure out where your shortcomings are in relation to it. Then it goes on to describing the "serious seven" reasons that teams get "stuck". You can start here and identify which of the serious seven apply to you. For each of the seven, they then point you to pages that can help you fix that specific problem.
The second section of the book is all about getting unstuck. They describe this as: "Step 3: Getting unstuck". In a very interesting and appealing way, they give you advice for how to solve any of the serious seven. Some of these ideas are interchangeable, some will work for more than one of the seven, and others will work together to a single problem. Each of their solutions has a unique name that catches your attention and makes it interesting to read. Also including is some unique imagery to help your creative juices flow. They also often use examples of major companies who had problems and used a particular solution that they list to solve their problem. I enjoyed reading the anecdotes about particular companies and what they did to improve themselves.

The language of the book is pretty down-to-earth. It is not written like a business textbook. It is clear and to the point and the authors often use some colorful phrases to describe things in order to keep your attention and get you motivated.

The images are quite unique, and like some of the language they use, interesting and motivating. They make you want to open the book and keep turning the pages.

I've been using this book for about a week now, trying to implement some things at work. I've found it to be very helpful at identifying the problems. They hit the nail on the head quite a few times and sent me searching through the book to Step 3 to find the solution. I am having a little harder time applying the solutions. They are fun to read and easy to understand, but I do have to translate some of them slightly to fit my situation. I work in a small Professional Service type business with fewer than 20 employees. Most teams consist of 2-3 people but often only 1-2 people. Some of their solutions do at first glance seem oriented towards larger businesses, so if you are in a situation similar to mine, it will take some translation in order to affectively apply the solution. But, it can be done with a little effort and thought, and at worst case it is merely a spring board to get you moving in the right direction and at best it effectively provides you with the means to solve your problems.

There is another aspect of the book that I have begun exploring and that is using it to help you not only in the business world, but in life in general. It is not a stretch to turn the word "team" into the words "family" or "friends" and apply it to your everyday life. I've learned quite a few things about the way I interact with my friends and family that could use some adjustment because of this book. I'm still in the early stages, but I definitely see potential for using this book as a guide in all aspects of my life. Again, it is not black and white to apply the principles in this book to your personal life, but with a little thought and motivation it can be done, and you will certainly have some fun along the way.

I recommend this book for anyone really, whether you are a CEO of a fortune 500 company or an entry level clerk at a small company. If you are the type of person who can be motivated to make things better, you find this an interesting read and you might even help improve other aspects of your life. Don't think though, that it will be easy. As fun and easy as it is to use the book and find the solutions to your problems, it takes motivation and commitment to implement the solutions. The book alone won't fix things, but it is a nice road map to help you get where you want to go.

Unstuck is the perfect book to use for a teambuilding exercise. Pass the book out to each member and let them read it in their own way. Not only is the book short, but you don't even have to read it cover to cover -- the authors encourage readers to take a non-linear approach and suggest paths to becoming unstuck. Gather up the troops and compare the experiences. Did everyone identify the same problems with the team? What types of ideas were sparked by reading of the book?

Much of what the authors say is common sense. But, sometimes common sense is the first thing that's lost when things start to go wrong. Unstuck is more fun to read than most of the business type books out there, but it also includes references to more serious and in-depth resources. Plus, it looks good on a bookshelf.

I passed on the hard copy of Unstuck more than once. When I saw the updated and revised paperback edition, I thought I should grab it. Having recently spent quality time with Ideaspotting, Zag and re-rereading The Brand Gap, it seemed to fit well with them both in spirit and purpose. Also, since Keith Yamashita's firm is mentioned in both The Brand Gap and Zag, I figured there must be something to it.

The idea for the book apparently came out of an MBA course at Yale which in turn led the authors to the realization that very few books "function as in-the-moment tools that let you take instant action." They point out that they ended up creating a set of flash cards which were a hit. Oddly, the book does not come with the flash cards.

Pity.

On the plus side:
* Unstuck tells us that there are seven primary causes, the "serious seven" for getting stuck. One of them probably corresponds to what you and your team are going through.

* Unstuck makes it easy to navigate to the specific type of "stuck" you have. No need to search the book for where you want to go. Just go to page 47 and it will direct you from there.

* There is a very helpful page on the things you need to unify in order to be a successful leader (or individual).

* Unstuck is small, nice to look at and will look good on your shelf.

On the minus side:

* Unstuck seems to be style over substance. It follows the highly visual/minimal text style of The Brand Gap but seems to lack the meat that made The Brand Gap so good.

* Some of the solutions seem to be based too much in common sense while others seem to be too contrived.

* Although one of the main tenants of the book is "systems thinking," you never get the feeling that Unstuck looks at the entire system.
Since I'm not currently stuck, I will read this again and post a review if/when I am. Until then...let's hope those flash cards hit the market.

This is a perfect book for anyone whose slammed with work, headed onto a plane, and seeking fresh ideas. The authors, a designer and Grad Professor, take the reader through a self-guided tour of organizational design and leadership 101. There's no predicatable narrative to the book, as many pages contain provocative questions with corresponding page numbers. While this may leave some readers lost, those that embrace the unique design and layout of the book won't be disappointed. My whole team is hooked on several pages from the book and unlike most traditional business books (zzz...), we're really using Unstuck.

I have to say I was a bit skeptical when I heard "innovation in business literature" and "fun" in the description of UNSTUCK. When a colleague shared her advance copy of the book with me, I was ready for critique. Let's just say I haven't been this impressed with a business title in years. The books design is refreshing and playful, while the content is founded on theory, case studies, and historical examples... just what you'd expect from a Yale professor and renowned designer. For anyone that's been leading teams for 10 years, it's virtually impossible to avoid exhaustion. UNSTUCK is a re-charge-filled with ideas, perspective, and suggestions to keep my team engaged and doing great work. It reminds me why doing this in the first place. A strong recommend.