The Imagination Gap

“To get from point A to point B requires logic. To get anywhere worthwhile requires imagination. Imagination is the next big thing, and Brian Reich gives us the keys to unlock the power of our imagination. We need to explore new, ambitious ideas and this is the book to help us do it.”

"I wrote a book that explained how our ability to stay connected - constantly, instantly, and globally - was dramatically changing our world. Now, the world faces great challenges, and confronting them will require thinking very differently than we have to date. It is time to explore big new ideas, and develop new models and methods. That will require imagination. And this book provides the guidance we all need to use and apply our imagination more and better than ever before."

“We can’t solve problems by using the same thinking that created them. Imagination is a gift and not something to be suppressed. Brian helps us unlock the imagination needed to ideate and deliver real world solutions.”

“For almost three decades, I have worked to create and advance some of the foremost purpose-focused initiatives undertaken by major corporations and brands. I have learned a lot, and shared a lot, in that time, and I know there is much more we need to achieve. To truly change the world, we must use our imagination as never before. Brian has issued a challenge that everyone - from executives to everyday people - can and should embrace. This book serves as blueprint to make extraordinary things happen.”

“Brian Reich is a relentless advocate for change. His laser-sharp vision and ability to zoom into the essence and core of things is extraordinary. He has spent his life figuring out how to make the world a better place through his actions. Brian does not waste time; he always turns directly toward the most pressing issues. He is an optimist, never giving up on the opportunities around him and always sees potential to reshape the world. In The Imagination Gap, he explores a completely fresh angle on how to develop and pursue big, important ideas. Imagination is something we all have, but we have shut it down in fear of too much risk, in fear of looking different. Well, we shouldn’t. Brian helps us imagine what is possible if we didn’t.”

Reich, a strategist and writer for executive leaders at various organizations, argues that people aren't using their imagination enough and explains the role it plays in personal and professional life. He draws on interviews with scientists, entrepreneurs, organizational leaders, subject matter experts and practitioners, actors, filmmakers, comedians, inventors, and others, as well as media coverage, research, and his personal experiences, to describe how to close the imagination gap and create changes in behavior to expand the use of imagination. He explains the history and science behind imagination and how it works; the imagination gap and how to apply imagination; how lack of knowledge and the absence of leadership affects imagination; strategies for closing the gap; new ways of taking about issues and challenges to spark new uses of imagination; how using and applying imagination impacts decision making, beliefs and behaviors, individual and collective potential, and structures and rules; how a “war room” style approach encourages the use and application of imagination; the value of data using imagination as a driver for how to be smarter about the connected society; failure and imagination; and big ideas and questions related to imagination. This is a paperbound reprint of the 2017 clothbound edition.