Building Moonshots (eBook)

TAMARA CARLETON, PHD, is an international expert in radical innovation. She is the CEO of Innovation Leadership Group, teaches at several top-ranked business schools and technical universities around the world, and is the creator of practical tools that help teams innovate, like the Playbook for Strategic Foresight and Innovation. WILLIAM COCKAYNE, PHD, is a techno-optimistic leader with a passion for transforming science fiction into reality. For twenty years, he taught students at Stanford University how teams imagine, invent, and ship the future. He is an expert in converting blue-sky thinking into brass tacks.

Introduction 1

Section I Ways to Adopt a Moonshots Mindset 7

Way 1 Always Focus on the Long View 9

Way 2 Start from the Almost Impossible 13

Way 3 Never Be Surprised 19

Way 4 Fund for Breakthroughs 25

Way 5 Plan to Adopt Shiny Things 31

Way 6 Be an Optimist 39

Section II Ways to Feed Your Curiosity 45

Way 7 Filter the Noise 47

Way 8 Collect a Menagerie 51

Way 9 Devour Hard Science Fiction 57

Way 10 Engage with Esoteric STEM 63

Way 11 Find Your Challenge 69

Way 12 Consume Research 75

Section III Ways to Imagine a Better Tomorrow 81

Way 13 Start by Asking What If ? 83

Way 14 Anchor in a Better Future 87

Way 15 Trust That the Future Is Not Zero- Sum 93

Way 16 Evangelize the Future 99

Way 17 Push the Boundaries of Your Work 105

Way 18 Be Visionary 111

Section IV Ways to Plan Your Stepping Stones 117

Way 19 Get Ahead of Your Customers 119

Way 20 Look to Tipping Points 123

Way 21 Reason Back 129

Way 22 Adopt Bold Metrics 135

Way 23 Plan for Targets to Evolve 141

Way 24 Be Responsible Visionaries 147

Section V Ways to Invent the Future 153

Way 25 Make Your Ideas Compete 155

Way 26 Do the Hard Part Daily 159

Way 27 Go Deep with Emtech 165

Way 28 Get to Action 171

Way 29 Build to Learn 177

Way 30 Share Proofs of Concept Early and Often 183

Section VI Ways to Make Big Bets 189

Way 31 Recruit a Challenge Board 191

Way 32 Build Foundations 195

Way 33 Spread Your Bets 201

Way 34 Play Games 207

Way 35 Double Down on Breakthroughs 215

Way 36 Time Your Bets 223

Section VII Ways to Finance for Alpha 229

Way 37 Invest in the Future Ecosystem 231

Way 38 Leverage Knowledge Discrepancies 235

Way 39 Seed New Fields 241

Way 40 Develop Perpetual Pipelines 247

Way 41 Publish Your Moonshots Metrics 253

Way 42 Fund the Handoffs 259

Section VIII Ways to Galvanize Your Team 265

Way 43 Be a Talent Magnet 267

Way 44 Foster a Skunkworks Culture 273

Way 45 Invite Radical Collaboration 279

Way 46 Chase Brains 283

Way 47 Hire for Unique Skills 289

Way 48 Find Your Cluster 295

Section IX Ways to Win the Future 301

Way 49 Practice Winning 303

Way 50 Play to Your Advantage 309

Way 51 Use Others' Solutions as Leverage 315

Way 52 Cannibalize Your Success 321

Way 53 Scale Fast and Slow 325

Way 54 Play an Infinite Game 331

About the Authors 337

Index 339