Be Bad First: Get Good at Things Fast to Stay Ready for the Future

by Erika Andersen

Overview

We are operating in a world defined by constant connection, rapid change, and abundant choices. News that once took months, even years, to spread now reaches across the globe in seconds. Advances in medicine and science are pushing boundaries with gene therapy and stem cell transplants. And decisions about where and how to work and live are nearly endless. As new knowledge—and the possibilities that arise from that knowledge—propels us forward, leadership readiness expert and renowned author Erika Andersen suggests that success in today's world requires the ability to acquire new knowledge and skills quickly and continuously—in spite of our mixed feelings about being a novice. In her newest book, Be Bad First, Erika explores how we can become masters of mastery; proficient in the kind of high-payoff learning that's needed today. With assessments and exercises at the close of every chapter, she encourages readers to embrace being bad on the way to being great—to be novices over and over again as we seek to learn and acquire the new skills that will allow us to thrive in this fast-changing world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629561080
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/31/2016
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Erika Andersen is the founding partner of Proteus, a coaching, consulting, and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. Over the past 30 years, Erika has developed a reputation for creating approaches to learning and business building that are custom tailored to her clients' challenges, goals, and culture. She and her colleagues at Proteus focus uniquely on supporting leaders at all levels to get ready and stay ready to meet whatever the future might bring. Much of Erika's recent work has focused on organizational visioning and strategy, executive coaching, and management and leadership development. In these capacities she serves as consultant and advisor to the CEOs and top executives of a number of corporations, including NBC Universal, Gannett Company, Rockwell Automation, Turner Broadcasting, GE, Union Square Hospitality Group, and Madison Square Garden. Erika also shares her insights about managing people and creating successful businesses by speaking to corporations, non-profit groups, and national associations. Her books and learning guides have been translated into Spanish, Turkish, German, French, Russian, and Chinese, and she has been quoted in a variety of national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and the New York Times.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The New Need to Learn-and Our Mixed Response 1

Chapter 2 The Drive to Mastery: We Want to Get Good 17

Chapter 3 Cracking the Code: Michelangelo and ANEW 29

Chapter 4 Aspiration: Ya Gotta Wanna 51

Chapter 5 Neutral Self-Awareness: The American Idol Syndrome 67

Chapter 6 Endless Curiosity: Not Just Kid Stuff 91

Chapter 7 Willingness to Be Bad First: The Trap of Competence 109

Chapter 8 Slaying Your Personal Dragons: On the Road to Mastery 127

Chapter 9 Do It Now: Making ANEW Your Own 159

Acknowledgments 179

Notes 181

References 183

Index 185

About the Author 195

Editorial Reviews

"[Erika Andersen] makes a compelling case for acquiring new methods quickly to master the ever-evolving 21st-century landscape… She has attracted a worldwide audience for her previous books and makes a solid argument for why sticking with what you already do well isn’t going to cut it today."
—Library Journal

"Erika Andersen shares a secret: competence is overrated. Fun to read and quite powerful... highly recommended."
—Seth Godin, author of Your Turn

“If the road to success is paved with mistakes well handled, then the journey of life is won by courageously choosing to stumble first in order to set distance records later. In Be Bad First, Erika Andersen lovingly guides us through the confidence-building steps necessary to master the part of growing up that doesn't benefit adults: a natural fear of failing to measure up.”
—Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and author of Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

"In Be Bad First, Erika Andersen offers leadership strategies for the ever-changing business landscape that are essential for anyone trying to navigate it."
—Doug Herzog, president, Viacom Music & Entertainment Group

“I learned early in my career that whatever you are good at today will be old news tomorrow. As described in Be Bad First, responding well to this truth requires building specific mental skills. The book clearly shows you how to do that so you can stay in front of the pack with confidence no matter what. Read this book every year to sustain your success over time.”
—Dr. Marcia Reynolds, author of The Discomfort Zone: How Leaders Turn Difficult Conversations Into Breakthroughs

“Change is the new norm and with Be Bad First, Erika Andersen demonstrates how we all can be more agile and adaptive. She breaks down how to acquire new skills and knowledge quickly in order to thrive in today's fast-paced world.”
—Maryam Banikarim, global chief marketing officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

“Erika Andersen exposes some of your darkest secrets, bringing them to light in a way that helps you realize it’s not only okay to Be Bad First, but absolutely necessary for the learning process that leads to sustainable performance.”
—Susan Fowler, author of Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work… and What Does

"Whatever it is you have to learn or want to learn, Erika's latest book shows you the way to open yourself to becoming all you can be."
—Dr. Jeff Tanner, dean, Strome College of Business, Old Dominion University

“We’re often held back from trying new things, in both our personal and professional lives, by the fear that we’re not going to be good at them. I love how Erika Andersen’s Be Bad First gives leaders the confidence to experiment in the spirit of innovation—then quickly move on to greatness.”
—Beth Comstock, vice chair, GE

"To succeed in today’s rapidly changing world, you’ve constantly got to think and act in brand-new ways. Erika offers a fresh approach in clear, practical terms…to get to ‘good’ or ‘great,’ you can’t be afraid to Be Bad First."
—Bonnie Hammer, chairman, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group

From the Publisher

04/15/2016
Being creatures of habit, people like to stick with what they know. But as the founding partner of coaching and consulting firm Proteus, Andersen (Leading So People Will Follow) preps leaders for challenges that require fresh skills. The author makes a compelling case for acquiring new methods quickly to master the ever-evolving 21st-century landscape. Using Michelangelo and his painting of the Sistine Chapel as her prototype, she walks readers through the process of being bad—that is, practicing those undeveloped talents, however poorly at first—but only as a stepping stone to eventual expertise. While drawing upon research in business, engineering, psychology, neuroscience, and other fields, the narrative focuses on the fundamentals needed to succeed. Andersen offers case studies of her clients' experiences to illustrate a course of action and includes exercises throughout the book for readers to try out the key points. VERDICT Andersen has attracted a worldwide audience for her previous books and is a popular Forbes blogger. She makes a solid argument for why sticking with what you already do well isn't going to cut it today.—Carol Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin, Whitewater Libs.

Library Journal