Samples

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       Scroll down this page to read thumbnail descriptions of
       the 24 lenses that make up SEE NEW NOW

The Scent on the Floor
When a frustrated Estée Lauder poured a bottle of perfume onto the carpet at the finest department store in Paris, she changed the future of her company.
       The “scent” you leave behind can build your business or tear it down.

The Baboon Reflex
Baboons rarely hunt successfully in packs, because longstanding fears and feuds lead them to fight with each other instead of chasing their prey. Fear is deeply embedded in humans, too – much more so than we might imagine.
       Recognizing our hair-trigger fear reflex makes for more effective organizations and
       individuals.

The Balance Pole
The great high-wire artist Karl Wallenda fell to his death because he wouldn’t let go of his balance pole.
       Companies and individuals sometimes need to let go of their most cherished practices
       and beliefs.

The Bolero Challenge
A top orchestra conductor describes a central challenge of leading Ravel’s Bolero: paying careful attention to both the accompaniment and the melody.
       In every domain of business and personal life, it's vital to orchestrate what’s in the
   background along with what’s in the foreground.

The Homunculus
Your brain has a very inaccurate image of how your body is put together, based on how many nerve endings different parts of your body have. Organizations have similarly inaccurate self-concepts, resulting from a similar phenomenon – what information they pay attention to and what they disregard.
       When your perception of yourself doesn’t match reality, problems follow.

Signature Move
A hockey Hall-of-Famer tells rising stars, “The way to get the scouts to remember you is to develop a signature move – something you do so well that whenever your name is mentioned, everyone will have a picture of you in their mind.”
       Companies and individuals all have signature moves, for better or for worse. What’s yours?

The Garden Path
“The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.” That’s a "garden-path sentence,” where what comes later undermines what came before.
       When organizations or individuals behave in garden-path ways, confusion, frustration, and
       disaffection often follow.

The Louis Armstrong Effect
When he heard Louis Armstrong play, a white Texas teenager named Charles Black questioned the racist views he’d been brought up with. Black went on to lead the struggle for true equality throughout the rest of his life, as a lawyer and law professor.
       You never know how the expression of your own genius will affect others – but it will, and
       it could change the world.

Figure and Ground
Do you see a white chalice on a black background or two black faces on a white background?
       What we notice and what we disregard can make the difference between routine
       and insight: Shifting your focus helps you see much more.

The Million Dollar Parrot
Negotiation expert William Ury told the tale of a shopkeeper who demanded a million dollars for a prized parrot but eventually settled for something else.
       When companies and individuals overvalue things, it can mean trouble for them and
       opportunity for others.

Einstein's Compass
Albert Einstein often said that an ordinary pocket compass he received when he was a small boy led him toward the theory of relativity.
       When organizations draw on the curiosity, wonder, and problem-solving tenacity of
       all employees, everyone thrives.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The great essayist Robert Fulghum called “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” “the fight song of the human race” and compared it to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. You could look at it that way.
       Or, you could see it as an emblem of the shoddy ways that too many organizations
   treat their employees and other stakeholders.

Bird-Brained Logic
A rule that an old salt passed on to him when he first joined the Navy – “If it moves, salute it; if it doesn’t, paint it” – helped paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould contemplate the consequences in nature of either/or thinking.
       Individuals and companies stuck in either/or logic are unlikely to prosper for long.

Shooting David Petraeus
As a general, David Petraeus led the “surge” that turned things around in Iraq. Earlier in his career, he was accidentally shot, and almost killed, by one of his own soldiers.
       How he handled that incident holds important lessons about how independent
       thinking shapes real leadership.

Abwoon D'bwashmaya
The first words of the “Lord’s Prayer,” the way Jesus would have said them in the language he spoke, are Abwoon d’bwashmaya.
       Experiencing the familiar in new ways can inspire new understandings
       and appreciations.

The Mile Run
The great football player Earl Campbell did some things magnificently, but he couldn’t meet his team’s requirement of completing a mile run on time. His coach addressed that situation with wisdom and humor.
       Policies have their place, but not at the expense of common sense.

The Insect-Size Buffalo
When the anthropologist Colin Turnbull was studying a tribe that lived in dense jungle, he took a man named Kenge to an open plain. “Kenge looked down to where a herd of about a hundred buffalo were grazing some miles away. He asked me what kind of insects they were, and I told him they were buffalo... He laughed loudly and told me not to tell such stupid stories....”
       Many organizational and personal difficulties result from an inability to tell how
       big (or how small) something really is.

The Hedgehog and the Fox
“The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” That distinction has been used by many top thinkers to categorize and explain individuals and organizations, because it represents a challenge that all people and all organizations face: freedom versus order.
       Sorting hedgehogs and foxes can help spot problems and inspire new directions.

The Puddle
Novelist Douglas Adams imagined a puddle thinking, “This is an interesting world I find myself in – an interesting hole I find myself in. Fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well – must have been made to have me in it!” Things changed when the sun came out.
       Being too comfortable can be the first step toward being gone.

The Fly in the Urinal
By providing something to aim at, etchings of flies in airport urinals, according to the Wall Street Journal, “reduce spillage by 80%.”
       There’s a simple, important lesson there for business and personal life – but beware
       the human instinct to overcomplicate things.

Spencer's Warbler
When science genius Richard Feynman was a boy, he asked his father the name of a bird they saw on a walk together. His father answered, “You can know the name of that bird in all the languages of the world, but when you’re finished, you’ll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird… So let’s look at the bird and see what it’s doing – that’s what counts.”
       Education acquired or applied on autopilot can miss what really matters.

The Twenty Dollar Bill Auction
Harvard negotiation expert Max Bazerman auctions off twenty-dollar bills. The rules are clear, the bills are ordinary, and there are no tricks. Yet he once earned $407 for a single twenty-dollar bill, and over a decade he took in profits of more than $20,000.
       There’s a lot to be learned from Bazerman’s auctions about looking before you leap
       - and then looking again.

The Stirrup
Historian Lynn White makes a compelling case that the adoption of stirrups changed European history in sweeping ways.
       The future is being created today by things that we might be overlooking.

The Caterpillar
Stanford Business School professor Anthony Athos was a realist about organizational transformation. It might be necessary, he said, but for most people it isn’t fun and it isn’t pretty. He eloquently employed the realities of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly to make his point.
       Understanding the true experience of transformation is vital for succeeding at
       deep change.

	The Scent on the Floor When a frustrated Estée Lauder poured a bottle of perfume onto the carpet at the finest department store in Paris, she changed the future of her company. The “scent” you leave behind can build your business or tear it down.
	The Baboon Reflex Baboons rarely hunt successfully in packs, because longstanding fears and feuds lead them to fight with each other instead of chasing their prey. Fear is deeply embedded in humans, too – much more so than we might imagine. Recognizing our hair-trigger fear reflex makes for more effective organizations and individuals.
	The Balance Pole The great high-wire artist Karl Wallenda fell to his death because he wouldn’t let go of his balance pole. Companies and individuals sometimes need to let go of their most cherished practices and beliefs.
	The Bolero Challenge A top orchestra conductor describes a central challenge of leading Ravel’s Bolero: paying careful attention to both the accompaniment and the melody. In every domain of business and personal life, it's vital to orchestrate what’s in the background along with what’s in the foreground.
	The Homunculus Your brain has a very inaccurate image of how your body is put together, based on how many nerve endings different parts of your body have. Organizations have similarly inaccurate self-concepts, resulting from a similar phenomenon – what information they pay attention to and what they disregard. When your perception of yourself doesn’t match reality, problems follow.
	Signature Move A hockey Hall-of-Famer tells rising stars, “The way to get the scouts to remember you is to develop a signature move – something you do so well that whenever your name is mentioned, everyone will have a picture of you in their mind.” Companies and individuals all have signature moves, for better or for worse. What’s yours?
	The Garden Path “The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.” That’s a "garden-path sentence,” where what comes later undermines what came before. When organizations or individuals behave in garden-path ways, confusion, frustration, and disaffection often follow.
	The Louis Armstrong Effect When he heard Louis Armstrong play, a white Texas teenager named Charles Black questioned the racist views he’d been brought up with. Black went on to lead the struggle for true equality throughout the rest of his life, as a lawyer and law professor. You never know how the expression of your own genius will affect others – but it will, and it could change the world.
	Figure and Ground Do you see a white chalice on a black background or two black faces on a white background? What we notice and what we disregard can make the difference between routine and insight: Shifting your focus helps you see much more.
	The Million Dollar Parrot Negotiation expert William Ury told the tale of a shopkeeper who demanded a million dollars for a prized parrot but eventually settled for something else. When companies and individuals overvalue things, it can mean trouble for them and opportunity for others.
	Einstein's Compass Albert Einstein often said that an ordinary pocket compass he received when he was a small boy led him toward the theory of relativity. When organizations draw on the curiosity, wonder, and problem-solving tenacity of all employees, everyone thrives.
	The Itsy Bitsy Spider The great essayist Robert Fulghum called “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” “the fight song of the human race” and compared it to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. You could look at it that way. Or, you could see it as an emblem of the shoddy ways that too many organizations treat their employees and other stakeholders.
	Bird-Brained Logic A rule that an old salt passed on to him when he first joined the Navy – “If it moves, salute it; if it doesn’t, paint it” – helped paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould contemplate the consequences in nature of either/or thinking. Individuals and companies stuck in either/or logic are unlikely to prosper for long.
	Shooting David Petraeus As a general, David Petraeus led the “surge” that turned things around in Iraq. Earlier in his career, he was accidentally shot, and almost killed, by one of his own soldiers. How he handled that incident holds important lessons about how independent thinking shapes real leadership.
	Abwoon D'bwashmaya The first words of the “Lord’s Prayer,” the way Jesus would have said them in the language he spoke, are Abwoon d’bwashmaya. Experiencing the familiar in new ways can inspire new understandings and appreciations.
	The Mile Run The great football player Earl Campbell did some things magnificently, but he couldn’t meet his team’s requirement of completing a mile run on time. His coach addressed that situation with wisdom and humor. Policies have their place, but not at the expense of common sense.
	The Insect-Size Buffalo When the anthropologist Colin Turnbull was studying a tribe that lived in dense jungle, he took a man named Kenge to an open plain. “Kenge looked down to where a herd of about a hundred buffalo were grazing some miles away. He asked me what kind of insects they were, and I told him they were buffalo... He laughed loudly and told me not to tell such stupid stories....” Many organizational and personal difficulties result from an inability to tell how big (or how small) something really is.
	The Hedgehog and the Fox “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” That distinction has been used by many top thinkers to categorize and explain individuals and organizations, because it represents a challenge that all people and all organizations face: freedom versus order. Sorting hedgehogs and foxes can help spot problems and inspire new directions.
	The Puddle Novelist Douglas Adams imagined a puddle thinking, “This is an interesting world I find myself in – an interesting hole I find myself in. Fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well – must have been made to have me in it!” Things changed when the sun came out. Being too comfortable can be the first step toward being gone.
	The Fly in the Urinal By providing something to aim at, etchings of flies in airport urinals, according to the Wall Street Journal, “reduce spillage by 80%.” There’s a simple, important lesson there for business and personal life – but beware the human instinct to overcomplicate things.
	Spencer's Warbler When science genius Richard Feynman was a boy, he asked his father the name of a bird they saw on a walk together. His father answered, “You can know the name of that bird in all the languages of the world, but when you’re finished, you’ll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird… So let’s look at the bird and see what it’s doing – that’s what counts.” Education acquired or applied on autopilot can miss what really matters.
	The Twenty Dollar Bill Auction Harvard negotiation expert Max Bazerman auctions off twenty-dollar bills. The rules are clear, the bills are ordinary, and there are no tricks. Yet he once earned $407 for a single twenty-dollar bill, and over a decade he took in profits of more than $20,000. There’s a lot to be learned from Bazerman’s auctions about looking before you leap - and then looking again.
	The Stirrup Historian Lynn White makes a compelling case that the adoption of stirrups changed European history in sweeping ways. The future is being created today by things that we might be overlooking.
	The Caterpillar Stanford Business School professor Anthony Athos was a realist about organizational transformation. It might be necessary, he said, but for most people it isn’t fun and it isn’t pretty. He eloquently employed the realities of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly to make his point. Understanding the true experience of transformation is vital for succeeding at deep change.