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The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander
Published by Penguin Books, 2000, 203 pages
Reviewed by:
Eric VandeVoorde (evandevoorde@ivytech.edu), Director for Student Life, Development, and
Leadership, Ivy Tech Community College - Lafayette, IN
The Art of Possibility is a light-hearted, inspiring book appropriate for common
reading programs, class discussion, and first-year student writing at both two-year and
four-year institutions. The book entices readers to move beyond their comfort zones and into
the realm of possibility by utilizing twelve well-outlined practices. In fact, the authors are so
committed to indoctrinating their readers into belief in the benefits of possibility that the first
page of the text is devoted to Emily Dickinson’s celebrated poem, “I Dwell in Possibility.”
Certainly, the respective experience of each author on an individual level would lend
credibility to the book’s content, but, when combined, Zander and Zander’s suggested
techniques for increased openness cannot be ignored.
Rosamund Stone Zander is an executive coach, family systems therapist, and gifted artist
with a master’s degree from Boston University’s School of Social Work. Benjamin Zander has
more than 30 years of experience as a conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. He is a
sought-after speaker for his presentations on leadership and creativity. The authors’ unique
perspectives provide a healthy balance between creativity and practicality, between music and
social work, and between current reality and future possibility.
Overview
The following is an outline and brief description of each of the twelve practices.
First Practice: It’s All Invented
The first practice focuses on realizing that the barriers in our lives are built primarily
upon assumptions that do not exist in reality. Using a humorous story involving Pablo Picasso
as an example, the authors posit that our minds construct our reality, and therefore, reality is
subjective. Thus, in order to step outside our self-imposed boundaries, we must teach ourselves
to re-construct the “real world.”
Second Practice: Stepping into a Universe of Possibility
The second practice discusses how human beings operate under the assumption that
the purpose of life is to survive to live another day. As the result of an instinctually driven
mentality to prolong life, we expend ourselves seeking out purportedly “scarce” resources
such as money, power, and safety. Instead, the authors encourage their readers to assume that
growth and change are always possible in the universe, and thereby open the doors to
possibility.
COMMON READING
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Third Practice: Giving an A
The third practice involves giving others the benefit of the doubt. By purposely working
to see the best in others, we end up seeing the best in ourselves. Rather than reacting to
mistakes with disdain, why not be curious and appreciative for a unique and unplanned
moment? Another benefit of “Giving an A” to others, is that it opens up the probability for
partnership, teamwork, and relationship building.
Fourth Practice: Being a Contribution
The fourth practice off ers the fresh idea that it can be healthy to replace the drive for
success and fear of failure with a plan to be a contribution to our environment. As a pebble in a
pond generates consequences far beyond its immediate surroundings, our small acts of
kindness can generate a long-lasting positive impact. By trying to contribute, we are gently
pulled into a present-centered mind, rather than a past or future-centered mind.
Fifth Practice: Leading from Any Chair
The fifth practice centers on the belief that we can lead influentially through our
actions, even if we are not in a traditional position of power. To illustrate the point, the authors
share a story about how the best orchestra conductors are those who freely give their power
to others, which creates a trickle-down eff ect to the degree that every single orchestra member
feels valued and respected. In other words, the chapter talks about synergistic servant
leadership and the benefits of being open to feedback from all angles.
Sixth Practice: Rule Number 6
The sixth practice is simple: Lighten up! The authors encourage their readers to let
their “central self ” shine through by opening up to the flow of new experience. In order to
determine who or what our central self is, we must answer the question, “What would have to
change for me to be completely fulfilled?”
Seventh Practice: The Way Things Are
The seventh practice is all about being present to reality without resistance. In order to
do so, the authors state that we must learn to distinguish between assumptions, feeling, and
fact. We must release “shoulds” from our vocabulary, clear ourselves of judgments, and invite
mistakes into our performance. By wholly accepting all facets of reality, we can learn from each
experience to develop ourselves.
Eighth Practice: Giving Way to Passion
The eighth practice involves letting ourselves participate fully in our life experience.
In order to completely activate our energy, we must focus on the larger puzzle and pattern of
which we are a part. An entertaining concept called “Beyond the F*%@ It” serves to bring the
principle to life.
Ninth Practice: Lighting a Spark
The ninth practice focuses on “enrollment,” the art and practice of generating the spark
of possibility for others to share. The authors use the term “enrollment” in order to convey the
intentionality required when choosing to engage in the practice. As the authors note, one can
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easily light a fire if the spark is always carried. To help their readers move through the process
of enrollment, four steps are off ered:
1. Imagine that people are an invitation for enrollment.
2. Stand ready to participate, willing to be moved and inspired.
3. Off er that which lights you up.
4. Have no doubt that others are eager to catch the spark.
Tenth Practice: Being the Board
The tenth practice suggests that we take responsibility for the role we play in what
happens in our lives. By owning the risks we take and decisions we make, we maintain control
of our lives. By the same token, we can empower ourselves to remove stumbling blocks in the
way of our goals and generate successes as well.
Eleventh Practice: Creating Frameworks for Possibility
The eleventh practice builds upon the tenth by taking the practice of “Being the Board”
one step further. Once we have taken responsibility for the life framework we create, we have
the freedom to create vision, establish environments that breed possibility, and restructure
meanings. The authors make an important distinction between mission and vision, and deliver
a somewhat vague three-step process for framing possibility. The process involves creating a
purposeful new framework in the realm of possibility, living out the new framework, and
monitoring oneself to ensure adherence.
Twelfth Practice: Telling the WE Story
The twelfth, final, practice is one that joyfully advocates for a framework of WE, rather
than I, you, or they. In addition to being a clear advertisement for world peace, which is well
exemplified by a story regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in South Africa, this
section shares how dissolving borders is also helpful on a personal level. Lastly, the authors
provide a final stepwise process, this time for attaining WE practices.
Program Relevance
The Art of Possibility provides some food for thought to which students would likely
respond. The book is included on Penguin Group USA’s list of books for 2010 orientation
programming, and multiple institutions have incorporated the text into learning communities,
required reading lists, leadership retreats, and orientation programming. However, the work
may not appeal to professionals for use during an orientation or a first-year experience
seminar as a whole. Although the practices included in the book are intriguing and relevant for
our time, they hardly seem unique. Even within the book itself, it is safe to say that the twelve
practices could be boiled down to half that number given the significant amount of overlap
present. Fortunately, the book has flexibility as its core strength.
Because the book is neatly organized into easily absorbable sections, professionals can
incorporate choice practices into student programming. For example, the practice of “Stepping
into a Universe of Possibility” would be a great avenue for encouraging first-year college
students and transfer students to step out of their comfort zones and into their new academic
and social environments. The practice of “Giving an A” could serve as a lesson on how to be
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tolerant of others during residence life programming or diversity training. The practice of
“Leading from Any Chair” is a natural fit for servant leadership programming. Professionals
will undoubtedly find that further benefits of the book can be extracted by pairing select
practices with germane programming.
Perhaps the only area of concern professionals should consider when reviewing the
book is the imbalanced use of gender pronouns. Although feminine references are not absent
in the stories and examples, the pronoun “he” seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
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