Solve the world’s biggest problems and create a better future
In Building Moonshots: 50+ Ways to To Turn Radical Ideas Into Reality, a team of expert innovation strategists delivers an exciting and insightful collection of strategies, techniques, and frameworks for scaling your next big, audacious idea into a concrete product or service.
Each proven and tested strategy contained in the book has been categorized to make it easy to find and implement when you need it most. You’ll learn how and where to start, when to bet big, how to invest, when to play the long game, what to communicate, and much more. You’ll also find:
- Ways to go beyond white papers and vision statements to a place where your ideas become a tangible reality
- Strategies for creating a better future by transforming seemingly impossible ideas into concrete products
- Methods for bringing to life radical and innovative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges
Destined to become the seminal, go-to source for visionaries, gamechangers, and leaders imagining the apparently impossible and determined to achieve it, Building Moonshots is a can’t-miss book for entrepreneurs, founders, product development heads, and other business leaders.
Table of Contents:
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
About the Author :
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.
