{"id":1340,"date":"2025-09-15T09:08:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T13:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/?p=1340"},"modified":"2025-07-05T09:08:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T13:08:29","slug":"book-review-a-new-way-to-think-by-roger-martin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/uncategorized\/book-review-a-new-way-to-think-by-roger-martin\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: “A New Way to Think” by Roger Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Book Review: A New Way to Think by Roger Martin ~Rethinking Strategy, Culture, and the People We Serve<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a model is failing you, it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re failing\u2014it means it\u2019s time for a new model.\u201d ~ Roger Martin<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I picked up Roger Martin\u2019s A New Way to Think<\/a> expecting a book on strategy. What I found was something even more compelling: a deeply human, deeply practical guide to leading with imagination. Martin\u2019s central premise is that we cling to dominant models\u2014whether in HR, planning, culture, or innovation\u2014because they\u2019re familiar, not because they work. They also appeal to “automaticity” ~ the desire of the brain to keep things simple; and, they appeal to history, what we know. His challenge: let go of models that are no longer serving you and adopt ones that align more with how the world actually works<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a book of theory. It\u2019s a field guide for thinking leaders. It asks us to slow down, question our defaults, and reimagine how we solve problems.<\/p>\n

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You Would Be Interested in This Book If\u2026<\/strong>
\n– You\u2019re a school leader rethinking how to align strategy with culture.
\n– You\u2019ve inherited a strategic plan that looks good on paper but doesn\u2019t move people to act.
\n– You work in experiential education and want to build agile systems that respond to real feedback.
\n– You\u2019re coaching new leaders and want to help them think more flexibly, creatively, and humanely.<\/p>\n

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Strategy is a Choice\u2014Not a Plan<\/strong>
\nMartin\u2019s model of cascading strategic choices really stuck with me. He makes the sharp distinction between planning and strategy, reminding us that strategy isn\u2019t just about setting direction\u2014it\u2019s about making clear choices that inform everything that follows, right down to who you hire and how they execute.<\/p>\n

In schools, we often equate strategic planning with long documents, timelines, and working groups. Martin flips that. The better question: What needs to be true for this choice to work? That shift\u2014from prediction to possibility\u2014opens up space for imagination, especially in education, where strategy must remain dynamic and people-centred.<\/p>\n

The example of Tylenol’s recall reappears as a case study of \u201cimagination over analysis.\u201d They didn’t test market response; they acted on what they wanted to be true: that people could trust them. It’s a helpful reminder that bold decisions aren\u2019t always backed by data\u2014they\u2019re often backed by values.<\/p>\n