Being different begins with intellectual disobedience, having the courage to throw off the shackles of conventionality to achieve amazing results — Be Different!
Being different begins with intellectual disobedience, having the courage to throw off the shackles of conventionality to achieve amazing results — Be Different!
Decision-making & problem solving, Entrepreneurship, Strategic planning
Be Different: How Navy SEALs and Entrepreneurs Bend, Break, or Ignore the Rules to Get Results is the third book in a trilogy of deeply insightful business books by retired Navy SEAL and CEO Marty Strong. Take a journey into the fascinating world of disruptive and divergent thinking, and how leveraging your mind in an open and enlightened way can open the door to incredible creativity and innovation.
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In my almost 15 years at McKinsey, now leading McKinsey’s research and several programs related to skills, I am fully convinced that what a person knows or how capable a person is have diminishing importance compared to how they think and behave. Once existing Artificial Intelligence is adopted at scale, most of the work left will be non-routine. Addressing climate change will require unleashing a giant wave of innovation and rapid adoption of new technologies. In Be Different, Marty helps us develop one of the most important mindsets in this age where we are in dire need of innovation: unconventional thinking. Among my favorite parts of Be Different is the process to overcome this problem and unlock unconventional thinking. The first step is intellectual humility: I was once given the feedback of suffering from “expert-itis” and this first step therefore particularly resonates with me. Without humility we can’t let in insights that are far from what we already know. The second step: intellectual curiosity. If humility allows the open mind, then curiosity can lead to the exploration of new ideas, the ability to go much further than “been there, done that.” Only as a third step comes intellectual creativity, which although easier at a young age, Marty explains throughout the book how to unlock it again at any age. ~ Marco Dondi, Successful Author and Expert Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company, Geneva Switzerland
Be Different is Marty Strong’s third treatise on leadership. This work completes his high impact trinity of successful books on leadership, strategy, and innovation. When I read Marty’s first book, Be Nimble, I found myself not only nodding my head in agreement with his concepts but was eager to immediately put his wisdom into motion within my company. I got to know Marty personally over time, he even appeared several times as a guest on my Elevate Your Leadership podcast. I’ve benefitted as a CEO from his generous mentorship and insightful business wisdom. In early 2023, it was with high expectations that I ordered Be Visionary, Marty’s second book, When I began to read this second book on vision and strategy, I was once again energized by Marty’s straightforward, conversational, and often funny narratives, related what he learned after twenty years in the SEAL Teams, and twenty plus years leading commercial businesses. Be Different reminds me of the creativity and innovation I witnessed in my 26 years as a Navy Special Operations Bomb Technician, a profession where we always had to get it right. Challenging the status quo is a necessary part of evolution in business and in life. Be Different provides the reader with the methods and tools to defuse their “business bombs” and advance their creative initiatives in an unconventional and innovative manner. ~ Robert Pizzini, U.S. Navy Special Operations Veteran, CEO, and Bestselling Author of Elevate Your Leadership
Marty Strong leads, trains, and engages like a commander focused on the horizon, the objective, and the welfare of his people. When I read Be Nimble, followed by Be Visionary, I thought I was back in the military training senior commanders how to think not only tactically but strategically. To exercise judgment, and to lead. Marty writes in such a way that you see his experience unfold right in front of you, here and now, communicated in such a careful narrative manner you can easily absorb his insights and make them your own. Marty's skills, passion, and empathy for others are a gift. I read his works and understand why those who were trained by him and served with him in the military and in corporate business, have remained close to him ever since, friends for life. I encourage and invite everyone to join the ranks and become inspired by reading Marty’s door-opening books. ~ Michael Steiner, Executive Director, BEST Robotics, Inc.
Be Different is not written from a point of recklessness and disregard for habits, incrementalism, and rules - quite the opposite. This book is constantly treading between following, bending, ignoring, and making new rules, between baby steps and wild leaps. And the five steps to change ourselves into thinking differently attest to Marty’s focus on balance: a self-inventory on what is blocking us; self-discipline; self-awareness; self-esteem; and self-lessness. If you think you are too unconventional or insufficiently creative, Be Different will still give you practical help in leading an innovative self, teams, and organizations. ~ Marco Dondi, Successful Author and Expert Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company, Geneva Switzerland
