Be Bad First: Get Good at Things Fast to Stay Ready for the Future

by Erika Andersen

We are operating in a world defined by constant connection, rapid change, and abundant choices. News that once took months, even years, to spread now reaches across the globe in seconds. Advances in medicine and science are pushing boundaries with gene therapy and stem cell transplants. And decisions about where and how to work and live are nearly endless.

As new knowledge - and the possibilities that arise from that knowledge - propels us forward, leadership readiness expert and renowned author Erika Andersen suggests that success in today's world requires the ability to acquire new knowledge and skills quickly and continuously - in spite of our mixed feelings about being a novice.

In her newest book, Be Bad First, Erika explores how we can become masters of mastery, proficient in the kind of high-payoff learning that's needed today. She encourages listeners to embrace being bad on the way to being great - to be novices over and over again as we seek to learn and acquire the new skills that will allow us to thrive in this fast-changing world.

Audible Audio

Published February 23, 2016

About the author

Erika Andersen is the founding partner of Proteus, a coaching, consulting, and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. For almost forty years, Erika has developed a reputation for creating approaches to learning and business-building that are tailored to her clients’ challenges, goals, and culture.

She and her colleagues at Proteus focus uniquely on helping leaders at all levels get ready and stay ready to meet whatever the future might bring. Much of her recent work
has focused on organizational visioning and strategy, executive coaching, and management and leadership development. In these capacities
she serves as consultant and adviser to the CEOs and/or top executives of a number of corporations, including Spotify, Facebook, Spectrum, Novartis, Revolt Media, and CBS Sports.

Erika shares her insights about creating and leading successful businesses by speaking to corporations, nonprofit groups, and associations. Her books and learning guides have been translated into Spanish, Turkish, German, French, Russian, and Chinese, and she has contributed to and been quoted in a variety of national publications, including the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and the New York Times.

Erika is also a popular leadership contributor at Forbes.com. In addition to Change from the Inside Out, she is the author of Be Bad First— Get Good at Things FAST to Stay Ready for the Future; Leading So People Will Follow; Being Strategic: Plan for Success; Outthink Your
Competitors; Stay Ahead of Change; and Growing Great Employees: Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers. Finally, Erika is the author and host of the Proteus Leader Show, a regular podcast that offers
quick, practical support for managers and leaders.