How do people come up with truly original ideas? The answer is to think outside the box – way outside the box.

And I’ve got a book that will aid you tremendously in doing exactly that. It’s called A.L.I.E.N. Thinking: The Unconventional Path to Breakthrough Ideas, and it’s written by Cyril Bouquet, Jean-Louis Barsoux, and Michael Wade.

They’ve studied inventors, scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs, and artists. These folks, or “aliens,” are able to make leaps of creativity, and use five patterns of thinking that distinguish them from the rest of us.
 
These five patterns—Attention, Levitation, Imagination, Experimentation, and Navigation—lead to a fresh and flexible approach to problem-solving.

Alien thinkers know how to free the imagination so it can detect hard-to-observe patterns.

They practice deliberate ways to retreat from the world in order to see the big picture underlying a problem. And they approach ideas in systematic ways that reflect the constraints of reality.
 
Together, Cyril, Jean-Louis, and Michael will show you how you can use this method to develop out-of-this-world ideas. I believe their book can help anyone find innovative solutions to the most difficult problems.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Cyril and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS

In today’s episode, Cyril and I chat about:

• Why the ability to innovate is more important now than ever
• How to use procrastination for good
• The importance of the “outsider advantage”    
• And plenty more!

Cyril’s New Book

You can order your copy of A.L.I.E.N. Thinking: The Unconventional Path to Breakthrough Ideas right now.

Consider Pre-Ordering My New Book Too!

Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career by Jeff Brown and Jesse Wisnewski, coming August 31, 2021!

Cyril in Action

Books Cyril Recommends

Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow

Check Out These Additional Resources

Grab a copy of Cyril’s book now.

Visit Cyril‘s website to find out more about him and his work.

Learn more about inviting Cyril to be a guest speaker at your next event.

Connect with Cyril personally on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Comment and Share

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others.

I am also mentioning the names of all who rate the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes. We encourage you to join the Read to Lead Nation on Facebook. It’s a community of like-minded leaders and leader-to-be, as well as fans of the Read to Lead Podcast.

You can tell your friends on Twitter about your love of reading and our new podcast by simply clicking this link and sharing the tweet you’ll find at the other end.

And, by all means, if you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Finally, thanks for listening and remember, “Leaders read and readers lead.”