Follow the Other Hand

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Follow The Other Hand. A Remarkable Fable That Will Energize Your Business, Profits and Life is a business book by Duke CE faculty and NYU adjunct professor Andy Cohen. Published in 2006, Follow The Other Hand was reviewed by Paul S. Brown from the New York Times and featured in many business magazines.

Contents

[edit] Overview

This book is a business novella using magic as a metaphor to change the readers’ behavior and empower the reader to think out of the box. The author believes that Innovation begins by challenging assumptions. The term, Follow the Other Hand, is derived from a sleight of hand magic trick that reminds people that what they assume to be true is actually a belief. And if they follow that belief they will be misdirected such as in magic. But if they challenge the assumption; in essence, follow the other hand, they will find the secret or a new business solution that did not exist before. The book uses lessons instead of chapters. Each lesson ends with instructions for a magic trick supporting the premise of that lesson.

[edit] Lessons and Magic Tricks

Lesson #1: Think Differently – Follow the Other Hand

Lesson #2: Building Trust – Making the Audience Part of the Act

Lesson #3: Defining Your Brand – Creating A Magical Experience

Lesson #4: Idea Heckling – Removing the Obstacles to Thinking Differently

Lesson #5: Discovering Your Competitive Edge – “What’s Your Magic

Magic Trick# 1: Impossible (where two cards mysteriously switch places)

Magic Trick #2: Sixth Sense (a remarkable mind-reading trick that you can do anywhere)

Magic Trick #3: Wireless Wonder (let’s your cell phone announce a card selected by a participant but unknown to you)

Magic Trick #4: Matching Wits (gives you the power to restore a torn and discarded match back into the matchbook)

Magic Trick #5: The French Drop (teaches the perfect sleight of hand to make a coin disappear)

[edit] Case Histories

The book includes business case histories of companies large and small that challenge the assumptions of their competitors to create successful products and services. Case histories include: Axe (Lynx), a body spray, manufactured by Unilever; OnStar, a telematic service from GM, Build-A-Bear Workshop, a retail operation created by Maxine Clark, Proofreadnow.com, an innovative online service, M&Ms, a confectionery manufactured by Mars, Incorporated, Jones Soda, a soft drink manufacturer and Crest Spinbrush, a packaged good products created from a partnership between John Osher and Proctor and Gamble.

[edit] References

  • [1]The New York Times, Guidance From Overlooked Corners
  • [2]The Fortune Business Innovation Insider
  • [3]Dallas Morning News

[edit] External links

[edit] Product Details

   * Hardcover: 192 pages
   * Publisher: St. Martin's Press (October 3, 2006)
   * Language: English
   * ISBN 0312357931