Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility

the best companies know that innovative thinking is the only competitive advantage that can't be outsourced. The best schools are those with deep cultures of creative problem-solving. But both innovation and creativity depend on imagination first: the ability and willingness to conceive of what is not. In times like these, imagination matters more than ever. And fortunately, it's something we all can cultivate—with practice.

This powerful book shows us how. At the heart of Imagination First is a set of universal practices for opening minds at work, home, and play. These 28 (and a half) practices, with titles like Think Inside the Box, Break the Hand, and Routinize Randomness, are designed to enable anyone—from corporate executive to platoon sergeant to preschool teacher—to get unstuck, to reframe challenges, and to help others do the same.

With stories drawn from the lives of leaders, teachers, scientists, artists, and other diverse professionals, Imagination First is an essential guide for practitioners of possibility at any scale and in any sector. Playful and provocative, useful and inspirational, this book transforms the way we see—so that we can change the way we live.

Eric Liu, twenty-nine, has been a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and a commentator for MSNBC. A regular contributor to Slate,
he has also written for The Washington
Post Magazine and USA Weekend. After founding The Next Progressive, an acclaimed journal of opinion, he edited the anthology Next:
Young American Writers on the New Generation. He is a graduate of Yale College and is now enrolled at Harvard Law School.