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Imagine It Forward
Imagine the unimaginable, think beyond, create the new.
In today’s fast-changing world it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the technology and data which seem to drive everything around us. But Beth Comstock, vice-chair of General Electric, one of the largest companies in the world, presents a bold new claim this book: it is the power of human imagination – something we can all tap into – that has the most impact on how businesses thrive and develop over time.
In Imagination Works Beth Comstock blends her own personal experience with the story of General Electric to show how to navigate the change that surrounds us. Featuring numerous tools and exercises, all honed over two decades and working with hundreds of thousands of employees, Imagination Works will provide a new mindset and a passionate call to arms to embrace and conquer the challenges of the future.
In today’s fast-changing world it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the technology and data which seem to drive everything around us. But Beth Comstock, vice-chair of General Electric, one of the largest companies in the world, presents a bold new claim this book: it is the power of human imagination – something we can all tap into – that has the most impact on how businesses thrive and develop over time.
In Imagination Works Beth Comstock blends her own personal experience with the story of General Electric to show how to navigate the change that surrounds us. Featuring numerous tools and exercises, all honed over two decades and working with hundreds of thousands of employees, Imagination Works will provide a new mindset and a passionate call to arms to embrace and conquer the challenges of the future.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2018
279 people are currently reading
3548 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
May 31, 2020
I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher when it came out. And I finally got to it. I’m glad I waited. The message I got from this book was to embrace being different and no matter how scary it seems, be the change that needs to happen.
I needed to grow more as a person before reading this and I am glad I did. Years ago I never would have embraced being the unknown variable. But now I do, and in her book Comstock mentions to be a spark. Being an unknown variable I create plenty of sparks.
So this is a business book, and so much more. Give it a go and be motivated by it.
I needed to grow more as a person before reading this and I am glad I did. Years ago I never would have embraced being the unknown variable. But now I do, and in her book Comstock mentions to be a spark. Being an unknown variable I create plenty of sparks.
So this is a business book, and so much more. Give it a go and be motivated by it.
November 14, 2018
This is a very thick book that I felt could’ve been edited down considerably to the more relevant and useful information. Much of the book is memoir and describes many colleagues who Beth assesses in great detail, which I found boring and I frankly don’t care who she did or didn’t like working with and her assessment of their personality and business acumen. Towards the end she got more focused on what the book’s title says it will deliver, and I found it more readable and moving along better. Overall, I came away with some good quotes but I think the content should’ve been edited better to be more focused to make a stronger and more clear impact in terms of understanding change and how to manage it. If you are looking for more of a memoir you will probably enjoy this but I was expecting more of a business toolkit and overall found it too long and lacking in the real insights I was after.
August 24, 2018
This reads like a whole new genre—a new kind of business book for a new era in big business.
Candid, personal, and bombast-free, “Imagine it Forward” is a change-agent’s true story from the inner sanctums of a few of the world’s biggest pre-digital companies. And whether or not they admit it, all companies “of a certain age” are writhing as they sort out how to compete in this transformational era.
For a decade, Reality TV and social media have been dissolving the polished exteriors that hid the truths inside so many of our institutions, including our families. In “Imagine it Forward,” Beth (and you’ll want to call her Beth too) brings that new, sometimes uncomfortable, transparency to the inner workings of the Fortune 100 C-Suite.
The truth needed to be personal, because what is change in a 100-year-old company but individual intra-preneurs battling legions of executives in cultures built for yesterday? And these days, it’s a battle to the death. (See rest of business books) The bureaucrats have the incumbent’s advantages— wallet, Street, inertia, but all the entrepreneurs have is each other and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. And sometimes the CEO’s support. (The value of which is greatly overestimated. As Martin Sorrell remarked; “You think I say something and my people do it?”)
If the change agents are gifted, like Beth, they have gobs of vision and grit and have grown a very thick skin. But that still doesn’t guarantee success. Business has faced challenging eras before—but not the likes of this one. Exponential accelerators in tech and globalization are rapidly converging. The Fortune 100 old-growth forest is being culled quarterly. As are the good jobs.
“Change Agents,” as Beth characterizes her people, are the only hope. They take constant arrows, front and back, and like Beth, have probably closed their doors and cried. For all those women and men struggling for change— often in isolation without role models, sufficient support or recognition— this book is a gold mine of advice and a triple espresso of encouragement. Read it and please, carry on!
“Imagine it Forward” is deceiving because it’s a good, enjoyable read, but it’s also the most powerful, instructive user’s manual on Change Management I’ve read--specifically because it’s so authentic. Changing established cultures is by necessity personal and conflict-ridden and it’s time to admit out loud.
Of course change agents should read this book— but really, so should the rest of the folks in legacy companies who wittingly or unwittingly create the punishing headwinds that make adapting too hard. Everyone needs to be a change agent or change advocate if our companies are going to thrive or even survive.
I hope this book encourages other practitioners to come forward with candid stories and advice. I hope journalists dig under the PR to the real challenges in these companies, and I hope everyone starts to appreciate the importance and difficulty, particularly around culture, that’s been silently holding back all the talent and imagination locked in many fine organizations.
It seems like everybody in New York, including me, knows Beth. She is active in social media, conferences, and has a seemingly limitless capacity to help almost everyone who asks her. Still, I was unaware of so many of her accomplishments and her personal challenges. I’m especially grateful for her rare confidence and her generosity. She let people see behind the curtain and acquire a bit more of their own confidence and thick skin—knowing that even the biggest and the best are also human.
Candid, personal, and bombast-free, “Imagine it Forward” is a change-agent’s true story from the inner sanctums of a few of the world’s biggest pre-digital companies. And whether or not they admit it, all companies “of a certain age” are writhing as they sort out how to compete in this transformational era.
For a decade, Reality TV and social media have been dissolving the polished exteriors that hid the truths inside so many of our institutions, including our families. In “Imagine it Forward,” Beth (and you’ll want to call her Beth too) brings that new, sometimes uncomfortable, transparency to the inner workings of the Fortune 100 C-Suite.
The truth needed to be personal, because what is change in a 100-year-old company but individual intra-preneurs battling legions of executives in cultures built for yesterday? And these days, it’s a battle to the death. (See rest of business books) The bureaucrats have the incumbent’s advantages— wallet, Street, inertia, but all the entrepreneurs have is each other and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. And sometimes the CEO’s support. (The value of which is greatly overestimated. As Martin Sorrell remarked; “You think I say something and my people do it?”)
If the change agents are gifted, like Beth, they have gobs of vision and grit and have grown a very thick skin. But that still doesn’t guarantee success. Business has faced challenging eras before—but not the likes of this one. Exponential accelerators in tech and globalization are rapidly converging. The Fortune 100 old-growth forest is being culled quarterly. As are the good jobs.
“Change Agents,” as Beth characterizes her people, are the only hope. They take constant arrows, front and back, and like Beth, have probably closed their doors and cried. For all those women and men struggling for change— often in isolation without role models, sufficient support or recognition— this book is a gold mine of advice and a triple espresso of encouragement. Read it and please, carry on!
“Imagine it Forward” is deceiving because it’s a good, enjoyable read, but it’s also the most powerful, instructive user’s manual on Change Management I’ve read--specifically because it’s so authentic. Changing established cultures is by necessity personal and conflict-ridden and it’s time to admit out loud.
Of course change agents should read this book— but really, so should the rest of the folks in legacy companies who wittingly or unwittingly create the punishing headwinds that make adapting too hard. Everyone needs to be a change agent or change advocate if our companies are going to thrive or even survive.
I hope this book encourages other practitioners to come forward with candid stories and advice. I hope journalists dig under the PR to the real challenges in these companies, and I hope everyone starts to appreciate the importance and difficulty, particularly around culture, that’s been silently holding back all the talent and imagination locked in many fine organizations.
It seems like everybody in New York, including me, knows Beth. She is active in social media, conferences, and has a seemingly limitless capacity to help almost everyone who asks her. Still, I was unaware of so many of her accomplishments and her personal challenges. I’m especially grateful for her rare confidence and her generosity. She let people see behind the curtain and acquire a bit more of their own confidence and thick skin—knowing that even the biggest and the best are also human.
July 12, 2019
I tapped out at 80 pages. I didn’t come into this book knowing Comstock and was thrown off when this book was a boring corporate ladder climbing autobiography with an occasional page dedicated to a single concept like “Grab your own permission” thrown in. Co-worker received it for free at a conference.
September 28, 2018
This is the best book on leadership and innovation that I've ever read. Beth Comstock is a badass.
August 3, 2018
Imagine it Forward by Beth Comstock tracks her rise through the ranks of NBC and General Electric (GE) to focus on innovation and how to bring entrepreneurship to the epitome of corporate drudger and bureaucracy. She focuses on the traits and tactics necessary to bring about innovation and how to have an entrepreneurs spirit within a big organization. GE faced a tremendous challenge after the departure of Jack Welch and the subsequent demise of GE Capital that had fueled the growth of GE making Jack Welch one of the most successful CEO’s in the history of corporate America. The new GE had to innovate and find new business that it had never dreamed of entering before unlocking the innovation that had started the company under Edison and blossomed throughout its 140 year history. It had to overcome a corporate ethos of “checking the checkers” and fiefdoms carved out of CEO’s within business units that only could see the P&L of their area. Comstock covers the numerous entrepreneurial initiatives including some outside ventures like Hulu in her book and looks at what it takes to drive change and imagine a business in a future state. Her career which would culminate with being vice chair of GE was about brining the innovative spark to GE that would hep it grown and get ahead of the problems that an industrial giant would face in a world focused on software and consume businesses. Ultimately the book does read more as a memoir then a corporate strategy book but there are great lessons to be gleamed here and plenty of information about GE that often gets forgotten after the Jack Welch era. A very enjoyable read with the right mix of personal stories coupled with lessons learned and an outline of key takeaways helpful to those trying to drive change in large organizations or those starting out on their own about the pitfalls of growing to fast.
October 21, 2018
Shocked by the positive response. Found this book to be a mediocre memoir with infuriating commentary like “YouTube was built on the back of [SNL’s] Lazy Sunday” and watered down advice on innovation and disruption. The book also glorifies GE culture and leadership which seems outdated reading it in 2018.
January 8, 2019
The Bible for Change Makers
Beth's comstock's story is mine in making. Albiet the impact may be a fraction of what she's accomplished in those 26yrs at GE.
She's brought out well the GE's magnificent and larger than life culture .
It's amazing on how Beth recounts people, experiences, interactions with them and her inner emotions so profoundly. It's difficult to imagine someone being able to do that for a 26 long years! (I don't even remember my last quarter!).
She's given summaries and mantra's after each story. That makes the self-help even better. It would have been even better if there was a way to recall the story behind those mantra's/learnings quickly . so one could share them as anecdotes when sharing with others.
But doesn't looks like Beth Comstock era is over. It feels she will come back with more power bringing more change.
Honest, vulnerable, hungry for change defines Beth to me.
Recommended this book to everyone who wants motivation to their change making missions.
Beth's comstock's story is mine in making. Albiet the impact may be a fraction of what she's accomplished in those 26yrs at GE.
She's brought out well the GE's magnificent and larger than life culture .
It's amazing on how Beth recounts people, experiences, interactions with them and her inner emotions so profoundly. It's difficult to imagine someone being able to do that for a 26 long years! (I don't even remember my last quarter!).
She's given summaries and mantra's after each story. That makes the self-help even better. It would have been even better if there was a way to recall the story behind those mantra's/learnings quickly . so one could share them as anecdotes when sharing with others.
But doesn't looks like Beth Comstock era is over. It feels she will come back with more power bringing more change.
Honest, vulnerable, hungry for change defines Beth to me.
Recommended this book to everyone who wants motivation to their change making missions.
October 3, 2019
It had promise. The first part wasn't bad, but it is hard to get past the fact she is essentially repeating factoids and learnings from others to make her point and present her as some sort of guru. The physical descriptions of people, especially those with whom she has issues, come across as petty and are not needed. This book did not need to be this long and the "permission slip" section reads as juvenile. At times it seems like she is stereotyping those in communications or creative industries, which given where she started is unnecessary. Are there snippets one can gain for future use? Yes. Does that make the whole worthwhile? No.
March 10, 2021
Wow, its probably the closest, most detailed account of a woman in top-management, trying to make a corporate behemoth move in a creative direction. I like how she even documented her feelings in parts of the book. This book requires you to read it more than once, the around of knowledge and experience is massive! Great read, with many checklists to think about.
January 5, 2019
This book seemed to contain a lot of inside the company scuttlebutt; so it didn't hold my interest to the end The author didn't convince me that an eagerness to have your head handed to you by a corporate safe player for your creative solutions is worth the effort. Risk taking in corporations isn't all it's cracked up to be.
March 18, 2020
Beth has a lot of first hand experience of bringing large scale changes at GE and the book is a good summary of her GE journey. She explains the challenges she faced in bringing change in 100+ year old firms and how she tackled these challenges. Lots of good practical advice on ideas you can try to be more innovative.
Overall, a good thought provoking read but a little long at times.
Overall, a good thought provoking read but a little long at times.
September 7, 2019
Just ok. Some interesting memoirs of her life and how she climbed the ladder at GE. Not much in the way of usable information and I found her criticism of her various colleagues unbearable. I listened to the Audio book and felt it could have been edited down to half the 12.5 hours.
August 27, 2019
Amazing book and a must read for all people who are willing to explore all territories of business and life
September 2, 2023
Way too long and not super relatable for the average person
July 19, 2019
8/7/18 My Goodreads friend, Brian Regan, had a nice write up about it. I'm mostly interested because I worked in a joint venture with GE. The podcast with the author is good.
Commonwealth Of California Podcast: A Guide to Innovation with Beth Comstock
12/1/18
It's a good book, but it's mischaracterized by the title and format. It's really a business memoir about her time at GE. What she has to say about Innovation is not checked against academic literature and is really anecdotal. That being said, I think it's a good and interesting memoir about being on the front lines of a major industrial business with all the resources and brains during a period of change not seen since the rise of the industrial revolution.
The title needed to have the name GE in it in some way like 'my years with GE' to riff on 'my years with GM' by Alfred P. Sloan. The difference is probably relevant as both titles reflect the ethos of their times.
I wish she had made some more generalized observations. I saw GE's struggles as a reflection of the change in productivity covered in "The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War" by Robert Gordon. It turns out, GE's core businesses in power, healthcare and aviation are from a time when those were new. Their creation impacted the productivity of the world.
Now the productivity improvements are incremental and the story is really how Comstock feels this, tries to get GE to look for the new thing that could be even half as impactful, but the organization is not set up for that kind of journey. Their core strength of optimization has become a commodity, such as iPhone's made by a manufacturer, but she doesn't mention it directly. The book is mostly about what it was like to be inside GE, when the more transferrable story is about what's happening outside GE. Still, people live one life, not the lives outside themselves or could have been and this is a good memoire in that way. Another book with more perspective on the forcing Comstock is dealing with in her time at GE, though she doesn't mention it is "Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World" by Joshua B. Freeman. It used to be innovative and differentiated to create a factory. Now it's not. Perhaps commercial jet engines are a good business on their own as opposed to being owned along with medical device manufacturing, but Comstock doesn't discuss that.
It's a bit ironic that the book is positioned as 'Courage, Creativity and the Power of Change', but she doesn't mention that she didn't show those when she turned down a job offer to join Apple directly reporting to Steve Jobs. Kudos to her for sharing the story, but she only gets a C+ for not reflecting on how her own decisions seemed to mimic the old GE and not the new one she was professing. She explains it's for her kids, but I see it as a parent modeling behavior to reinforce the existing way (the old GE) rather than modeling to her kids how to have the Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change.
This book should be paired with American Icon, the story of Alan Mullaly at Ford, another worthwhile business memoir about being on the front lines in tumultuous times.
Both books are great to read today because real life offers supplemental material, provided by real life, easily found with an internet search. In Comstock's case, she doesn't mention the Palm Beach annual investor meeting where Jeffery Immelt says GE will have a $2/share dividend. Wall St. didn't believe before or after he said it and he was fired. It's a curiosity that that is not mentioned as a major theme of the book is 'you don't miss your numbers' at GE and that was the Mack Daddy of missing your numbers.
Ultimately, the changes at Ford and GE are not enough. It feels internally like tectonic changes, but that's from their internal perspective. Both books make both organizations sound like previously very unpleasant and dysfunctional places to work. They both sound like they are no longer that way, but that it's probably, but not necessarily, too late to save the companies.
There's a lot to be said about innovation, productivity, marketplaces and the structure of industrial-era companies and success in business strategies, but this book isn't really about that.
Commonwealth Of California Podcast: A Guide to Innovation with Beth Comstock
12/1/18
It's a good book, but it's mischaracterized by the title and format. It's really a business memoir about her time at GE. What she has to say about Innovation is not checked against academic literature and is really anecdotal. That being said, I think it's a good and interesting memoir about being on the front lines of a major industrial business with all the resources and brains during a period of change not seen since the rise of the industrial revolution.
The title needed to have the name GE in it in some way like 'my years with GE' to riff on 'my years with GM' by Alfred P. Sloan. The difference is probably relevant as both titles reflect the ethos of their times.
I wish she had made some more generalized observations. I saw GE's struggles as a reflection of the change in productivity covered in "The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War" by Robert Gordon. It turns out, GE's core businesses in power, healthcare and aviation are from a time when those were new. Their creation impacted the productivity of the world.
Now the productivity improvements are incremental and the story is really how Comstock feels this, tries to get GE to look for the new thing that could be even half as impactful, but the organization is not set up for that kind of journey. Their core strength of optimization has become a commodity, such as iPhone's made by a manufacturer, but she doesn't mention it directly. The book is mostly about what it was like to be inside GE, when the more transferrable story is about what's happening outside GE. Still, people live one life, not the lives outside themselves or could have been and this is a good memoire in that way. Another book with more perspective on the forcing Comstock is dealing with in her time at GE, though she doesn't mention it is "Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World" by Joshua B. Freeman. It used to be innovative and differentiated to create a factory. Now it's not. Perhaps commercial jet engines are a good business on their own as opposed to being owned along with medical device manufacturing, but Comstock doesn't discuss that.
It's a bit ironic that the book is positioned as 'Courage, Creativity and the Power of Change', but she doesn't mention that she didn't show those when she turned down a job offer to join Apple directly reporting to Steve Jobs. Kudos to her for sharing the story, but she only gets a C+ for not reflecting on how her own decisions seemed to mimic the old GE and not the new one she was professing. She explains it's for her kids, but I see it as a parent modeling behavior to reinforce the existing way (the old GE) rather than modeling to her kids how to have the Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change.
This book should be paired with American Icon, the story of Alan Mullaly at Ford, another worthwhile business memoir about being on the front lines in tumultuous times.
Both books are great to read today because real life offers supplemental material, provided by real life, easily found with an internet search. In Comstock's case, she doesn't mention the Palm Beach annual investor meeting where Jeffery Immelt says GE will have a $2/share dividend. Wall St. didn't believe before or after he said it and he was fired. It's a curiosity that that is not mentioned as a major theme of the book is 'you don't miss your numbers' at GE and that was the Mack Daddy of missing your numbers.
Ultimately, the changes at Ford and GE are not enough. It feels internally like tectonic changes, but that's from their internal perspective. Both books make both organizations sound like previously very unpleasant and dysfunctional places to work. They both sound like they are no longer that way, but that it's probably, but not necessarily, too late to save the companies.
There's a lot to be said about innovation, productivity, marketplaces and the structure of industrial-era companies and success in business strategies, but this book isn't really about that.
July 18, 2019
Making big choices requires imagination and risk-taking, and these are the skills you need to bring to your work and life to experience greater success. You must constantly ask yourself: How can I keep up with the pace of innovation — or even outpace it? To become an imaginative thinker: Allow yourself to think outside of conventional limits and to reject customary ways of approaching problems. Don’t be afraid to follow your natural curiosity and ask questions about things that excite your interest. Learn to become more comfortable with tension and confrontation, because these are necessary for growth. Create a narrative of adaptation and strategy to help move your ideas forward. Encourage the spread of ideas in your organization and look for emerging leaders who are also future-oriented.
Ignore the gatekeepers. These are the leaders in your industry — people in positions of power. They’re invested in keeping their power, not encouraging divergent thinking. But once you see yourself as a change-maker, you’ll recognize your own ability to bring vision and imagination to a project, and you’ll have the confidence to challenge norms and bring new ideas to the table. Remind yourself that you’re the one mapping your course and that you’re the author of your story. Have faith in your ability to experiment, try new ideas, and take unprecedented action. These skills will set you up for a life full of rich, fulfilling new pathways to opportunity.
No one likes to create unnecessary conflict, but it’s a key component of innovation. The creative process requires being bold enough to value conflict as a tool for forging new paths. Creating a sense of psychological safety is an essential element of this collaboration so that coworkers can respectfully and openly speak their minds without fear. Accept that conflict can improve any idea and that all processes can benefit from some disagreement. Identify the heart of the matter and keep the group focused on that. Try to articulate the other person’s point of view to show that you understand them. Cut tension by giving the conflict a silly label. Keep talking until you reach a resolution.
It may seem daunting to urge yourself to do more. Maybe you’re fully engaged in your work every day, keeping your nose to the grindstone and delivering great results. But imagine how much more valuable your work would be if you trained yourself to look up, assess changes happening in your industry or community, and offer insight about what the future may bring. It doesn’t take magic to transform yourself into someone who brings forward thinking ideas and solutions to the table. You must learn to assess current knowledge, discover emerging trends, and imagine potential relationships today and in the future. Inventing the future requires vision, disruption, and discomfort, but this is how we re-create the world.
Ignore the gatekeepers. These are the leaders in your industry — people in positions of power. They’re invested in keeping their power, not encouraging divergent thinking. But once you see yourself as a change-maker, you’ll recognize your own ability to bring vision and imagination to a project, and you’ll have the confidence to challenge norms and bring new ideas to the table. Remind yourself that you’re the one mapping your course and that you’re the author of your story. Have faith in your ability to experiment, try new ideas, and take unprecedented action. These skills will set you up for a life full of rich, fulfilling new pathways to opportunity.
No one likes to create unnecessary conflict, but it’s a key component of innovation. The creative process requires being bold enough to value conflict as a tool for forging new paths. Creating a sense of psychological safety is an essential element of this collaboration so that coworkers can respectfully and openly speak their minds without fear. Accept that conflict can improve any idea and that all processes can benefit from some disagreement. Identify the heart of the matter and keep the group focused on that. Try to articulate the other person’s point of view to show that you understand them. Cut tension by giving the conflict a silly label. Keep talking until you reach a resolution.
It may seem daunting to urge yourself to do more. Maybe you’re fully engaged in your work every day, keeping your nose to the grindstone and delivering great results. But imagine how much more valuable your work would be if you trained yourself to look up, assess changes happening in your industry or community, and offer insight about what the future may bring. It doesn’t take magic to transform yourself into someone who brings forward thinking ideas and solutions to the table. You must learn to assess current knowledge, discover emerging trends, and imagine potential relationships today and in the future. Inventing the future requires vision, disruption, and discomfort, but this is how we re-create the world.
July 2, 2019
Comstock has done everyone a service by describing how she changed the trajectory of her career. Despite being a self-described "introvert", Comstock led innovative change at NBC and GE.
If you're looking to boost your career or change your work environment, this book is worth a read.
Few professionals are able to tackle a subject like this with honesty and objectivity. Comstock is one of the few who does it effectively. She's honest about herself: she learned she comes across as blunt.
Yet, she also learned how to use "permission slips" that allowed her to make positive steps forward and "sparks" that encourage discovery in the workplace.
After being promoted to chief marketing officer at GE, she created program called "Imagination Breakthroughs." The program encouraged discovery and new revenue generating projects.
She also started "Ecomagination" which involved starting new green energy initiatives that lifted GE's brand value.
Comstock celebrates these successes but she also doesn't shy away from describing failures which is to her credit.
Promoted to a new position at GE, Comstock continued to find new ways to tell GE's story despite some unfortunate turn-of-events--the stock market crash of 2008 and some other mishaps.
She brings many innovative people on board at GE--Ben Kaufman, CEO of Quirky.com--in order to change the status quo. Her changes resulted in a much more welcoming and innovative corporate culture.
Sprinkled throughout the text are quotations and challenges that will help readers create change in their own lives. She also uses text boxes to elaborate more fully on key terms e.g. "Emergence."
If you're looking to boost your career or change your work environment, this book is worth a read.
Few professionals are able to tackle a subject like this with honesty and objectivity. Comstock is one of the few who does it effectively. She's honest about herself: she learned she comes across as blunt.
Yet, she also learned how to use "permission slips" that allowed her to make positive steps forward and "sparks" that encourage discovery in the workplace.
After being promoted to chief marketing officer at GE, she created program called "Imagination Breakthroughs." The program encouraged discovery and new revenue generating projects.
She also started "Ecomagination" which involved starting new green energy initiatives that lifted GE's brand value.
Comstock celebrates these successes but she also doesn't shy away from describing failures which is to her credit.
Promoted to a new position at GE, Comstock continued to find new ways to tell GE's story despite some unfortunate turn-of-events--the stock market crash of 2008 and some other mishaps.
She brings many innovative people on board at GE--Ben Kaufman, CEO of Quirky.com--in order to change the status quo. Her changes resulted in a much more welcoming and innovative corporate culture.
Sprinkled throughout the text are quotations and challenges that will help readers create change in their own lives. She also uses text boxes to elaborate more fully on key terms e.g. "Emergence."
June 1, 2019
"The future is not in our stars but in our imaginations, and our actions."
Imagine it Foward by Beth Comstock is a powerful book on how each of us has the passion to make a difference and to change the world we work and live in.
In 2013 whilst I was working at GE Capital in Australia I had the honour and pleasure of hearing Beth speak and meeting her. I was inspired by her passion for the customer and her ability to understand that GE had an important place in society and the community.
This book provides insight into Beth's approach to life and work. She details that,
There are some people who inspire us to be better, and to be passionate in what we contribute to this world. Beth is one of those people.
I still recall that day in Australia at the office when Beth spoke to us, and this book provides the insights that we were so fortunate to hear that day.
This is a book I thoroughly recommend to anyone who wants to grow in being resilient and focusing on "the power of change"; and most importantly wants to hear from a brilliant leader.
Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change
Imagine it Foward by Beth Comstock is a powerful book on how each of us has the passion to make a difference and to change the world we work and live in.
In 2013 whilst I was working at GE Capital in Australia I had the honour and pleasure of hearing Beth speak and meeting her. I was inspired by her passion for the customer and her ability to understand that GE had an important place in society and the community.
This book provides insight into Beth's approach to life and work. She details that,
"We must become “change ready”—that is, fearless, perpetually ready to reenvision, rethink, and redesign, whatever we do and wherever we are."
There are some people who inspire us to be better, and to be passionate in what we contribute to this world. Beth is one of those people.
I still recall that day in Australia at the office when Beth spoke to us, and this book provides the insights that we were so fortunate to hear that day.
This is a book I thoroughly recommend to anyone who wants to grow in being resilient and focusing on "the power of change"; and most importantly wants to hear from a brilliant leader.
Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change
October 25, 2018
I will say that I received a galley copy, so there may be things that were changed with the publication of the book in mass production.
I really enjoyed Beth's journey through corporate America--what she was thinking as she fought for change in a large machine-like company, knowing when to stand down, and looking back on her mistakes with clarity and compassion. I think that the writing could have had a stronger point of view--in my copy, it wasn't clear if this was an advice book or memoir, or who the target audience was. Sometimes she had some reflections that felt unfinished, but the story getting there was good.
I did not like the excerpts of the book that was advice column, it felt like it should have been a companion booklet or in the back of the book that one would review when reflecting on their own journey and planning forward. I ended up just skipping those sections because they would take up 2/3 of a page and cut off the narrative if I would stop to read them.
The beginning of the book was strong, but dragged on quite a bit at the end. I think the last two chapters could have been tightened and combined. All in all, I like the bulk of the book, and think with some more editing it could be a really solid career advice book for change-makers.
I really enjoyed Beth's journey through corporate America--what she was thinking as she fought for change in a large machine-like company, knowing when to stand down, and looking back on her mistakes with clarity and compassion. I think that the writing could have had a stronger point of view--in my copy, it wasn't clear if this was an advice book or memoir, or who the target audience was. Sometimes she had some reflections that felt unfinished, but the story getting there was good.
I did not like the excerpts of the book that was advice column, it felt like it should have been a companion booklet or in the back of the book that one would review when reflecting on their own journey and planning forward. I ended up just skipping those sections because they would take up 2/3 of a page and cut off the narrative if I would stop to read them.
The beginning of the book was strong, but dragged on quite a bit at the end. I think the last two chapters could have been tightened and combined. All in all, I like the bulk of the book, and think with some more editing it could be a really solid career advice book for change-makers.
September 5, 2020
This book is really a memoir, a story of a women’s journey through the ranks of NBC and GE. While it is loosely tied together around a theme of Innovation, I think this book is better viewed as a look into corporate life - hierarchy, stakeholder buy in, how decisions are made. While some of those stories are laid out, some you have to read between the lines.
This is a great book for anyone looking to build a career in corporate.
I’ve seen a lot of this before, but from a lower rung on the ladder. it begs the question did some of the transformations actually happen throughout the organization or just the perspective of the executives. I’ve seen plenty of attempted culture changes fall flat while executives flaunt their “success”
I can appreciate the struggle of trying to drive change in an old, massive corporation. It is not easy.
This is a great book for anyone looking to build a career in corporate.
I’ve seen a lot of this before, but from a lower rung on the ladder. it begs the question did some of the transformations actually happen throughout the organization or just the perspective of the executives. I’ve seen plenty of attempted culture changes fall flat while executives flaunt their “success”
I can appreciate the struggle of trying to drive change in an old, massive corporation. It is not easy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2019
Often, when a book doesn't appeal to me I simply remove it from my shelves and don't bother to mark it as read or give it a review . But in this case, I think a negative review is in order.
I tried listening to this book as an audiobook and couldn't get through the first chapter. Although written in a style that reminded me of Brené Brown, I quickly got tired of the author's review of her life, how she was an introvert and shy but exceedingly successful and impressive. perhaps later chapters gave some ideas about how to make the world a better place but I ran out of Interest quickly
I tried listening to this book as an audiobook and couldn't get through the first chapter. Although written in a style that reminded me of Brené Brown, I quickly got tired of the author's review of her life, how she was an introvert and shy but exceedingly successful and impressive. perhaps later chapters gave some ideas about how to make the world a better place but I ran out of Interest quickly
April 13, 2019
Change is the only constant. Learn to be a change-maker.
The book has powerful concepts viz. Imagination gap, STAR Method (Shelter, Tell someone, Ask yourself, Repeat).
The key takeaway - 'Grab your own permission, no one will give the permission to you to come out with cutting edge idea, side-hustle for mini success'.
Wonderful read!!
The book has powerful concepts viz. Imagination gap, STAR Method (Shelter, Tell someone, Ask yourself, Repeat).
The key takeaway - 'Grab your own permission, no one will give the permission to you to come out with cutting edge idea, side-hustle for mini success'.
Wonderful read!!
February 13, 2020
Having worked at GE at the same time as Beth and met her on occasion I can empathise with her experiences. While the corporate culture favoured brash leaders in a male dominated environment, Beth was able to lead through this and develop her own style of engagement, which she used effectively to drive disruptive change. I learned a lot from Beth and recommend her book.
December 4, 2019
Бет Комсток змогла перевернути з ніг на голову General Electric, тож вона точно знає: майбутнє – не в розташуванні зірок, а в нашій уяві й наших діях
Бекґраунд. Агентами змін не стають, ними народжуються. А зрозуміти своє покликання чи то пак місію вдається лише згодом, коли за плечима вже є певний досвід. Вочевидь, до змін душа й думки Бет Комсток прагнули завжди. Ще зовсім юною вона одружилася зі своїм ровесником, а незабаром у молодого подружжя народилася донька. Як і багато молодих жінок і матусь, Бет спочатку намагалася побудувати своє життя гармонійно: непогана робота на одному з телеканалів, родина, маленька дитина, спільне дозвілля. Але в певний час жінка поступово дійшла висновку, що не такого життя вона собі бажає. Отже, зміни в житті Бет почалися.
Це стало початком яскравої кар’єри в GE, NBC Universal, Nike, професійних і особистих злетів і падінь, стресів і перемог. Здолавши часто доволі важкий шлях від публіцистки-інтровертки до однієї з найвпливовіших жінок світу 2015 і 2016 років за версією Forbes, Бет Комсток вирішила написати книжку. Про себе й свій шлях на ниві змін, про жінку в чоловічому світі, про те, як багато їй довелося докласти зусиль, аби до неї стали прислуховуватися впливові люди, про продирання крізь бюрократичні хащі. А ще ця книжка про сміливість, упевненість та віру в себе й свою справу.
Людина, яка багато років поспіль впроваджувала зміни в такому світовому гіганті, як General Electric, вирішила розпочати свою оповідь мало не з самого дитинства. Оскільки книжка є автобіографією, мемуарами, авторка багато пише про своє життя поза роботою. Це частково виправдано, оскільки задля розуміння того, що спонукало молоду інтроверту вирушити за своєю мрією, і згодом перетворити її на реальність. Проте варто бути готовим до розлогої оповіді свого тернистого життєвого й професійного шляху.
Загалом у книзі є певна структура. Комсток згрупувала книжку у 5 розділів, які і є своєрідними підходом акторки для створення майбутнього. Ось авторська низка уроків, завдяки яким можна перетворити теорію на дію й просуватися вперед:
Дозвольте собі вийти за межі очікувань та обмежень (змініть свій спосіб мислення).
Відкривайте в собі дух дослідництва й цікавості (навчайтеся, вишукуйте ідеї, які роблять зміни можливими).
Завзято досліджуйте (шукайте та приймайте інновації).
Опановуйте майстерність оповіді (ви маєте допомогти людям в організації зрозуміти зміни).
Створіть нову операційну систему в організації (поширюйте новий спосіб мислення).
Оскільки авторка розповідає, що в її досвіді спрацювало, що – ні,які навички їй знадобилися на шляху до змін, книжка містить і різні завдання. Вони доволі цікаві та не складні. Спрямовані передусім на відповідальне розмірковування та смілий результат. Ваш результат. Він не може бути поганим чи добрим, він – ваша відповідальність. Наприклад, в одному з розділів Бет Комсток запропонувала заповнити «Бланк дозволу», де ви маєте зробити таке:
спочатку написати перелік справ, яких боїтеся й через це постійно відкладаєте до останнього;
потім скласти список бажаних дій на місяць із обов’язковою умовою: вийти за межі зони комфорту;
виконати завдання «убий дракона» (робота з негативними емоціями);
переформатувати свою роботу (можете навіть перевернути все догори дригом).
І наостанок вам потрібно буде заповнити власне бланк дозволу. У ньому ви, П.І.Б., пишете все, на що даєте собі дозвіл.
Погодьтеся, вельми корисне завдання. І дуже відповідальне.
Робота Комсток у GE полягала в тому, аби принести в компанію нову іскру, яка сприяла би її оновленню, успіху та випередила би майбутні проблеми. Гігантські корпорації час від часу потребують суттєвих перетворень, адже потужній бізнес-машині важко триматися на плаву без найретельнішої уваги та керівництва. Власне, розповідь авторки цікава ще й тим, що вона описує моменти життя корпорації часів Джека Велча, з яким працювала безпосередньо.
Отже, Бет Комсток висвітлює свої численні підприємницькі ініціативи, які дозволили змінити те, до чого багато людей побоялися би й підступитися.
Не чекайте від книжки чітких інструкцій до створення корпоративної стратегії. Це лише спогади бізнес-вумен, її професійна біографія. Але тут є багато засвоєних нею уроків, які стануть у пригоді всім, хто впроваджує зміни у великих організаціях, або просто хоче змінити своє життя. До речі, особисті історії авторки додають розповіді затишку і сприяють зближенню.
Вам сподобається, якщо: ви цікавитеся змінами, не боїтеся їх та вважаєте, що життя без змін неможливе. Або боїтеся, але дуже хочете позбутися страху й почати діяти.
Вам не сподобається, якщо: ви не любите історії успіху або тема організаційних чи особистих змін вас геть не цікавить.
Головна причина прочитати: ви зрозумієте сенс бойового гасла творця змін: «Побачивши кращий шлях, ви зобов’язані ним піти».
https://mind.ua/publications/20205154...
Бекґраунд. Агентами змін не стають, ними народжуються. А зрозуміти своє покликання чи то пак місію вдається лише згодом, коли за плечима вже є певний досвід. Вочевидь, до змін душа й думки Бет Комсток прагнули завжди. Ще зовсім юною вона одружилася зі своїм ровесником, а незабаром у молодого подружжя народилася донька. Як і багато молодих жінок і матусь, Бет спочатку намагалася побудувати своє життя гармонійно: непогана робота на одному з телеканалів, родина, маленька дитина, спільне дозвілля. Але в певний час жінка поступово дійшла висновку, що не такого життя вона собі бажає. Отже, зміни в житті Бет почалися.
Це стало початком яскравої кар’єри в GE, NBC Universal, Nike, професійних і особистих злетів і падінь, стресів і перемог. Здолавши часто доволі важкий шлях від публіцистки-інтровертки до однієї з найвпливовіших жінок світу 2015 і 2016 років за версією Forbes, Бет Комсток вирішила написати книжку. Про себе й свій шлях на ниві змін, про жінку в чоловічому світі, про те, як багато їй довелося докласти зусиль, аби до неї стали прислуховуватися впливові люди, про продирання крізь бюрократичні хащі. А ще ця книжка про сміливість, упевненість та віру в себе й свою справу.
Людина, яка багато років поспіль впроваджувала зміни в такому світовому гіганті, як General Electric, вирішила розпочати свою оповідь мало не з самого дитинства. Оскільки книжка є автобіографією, мемуарами, авторка багато пише про своє життя поза роботою. Це частково виправдано, оскільки задля розуміння того, що спонукало молоду інтроверту вирушити за своєю мрією, і згодом перетворити її на реальність. Проте варто бути готовим до розлогої оповіді свого тернистого життєвого й професійного шляху.
Загалом у книзі є певна структура. Комсток згрупувала книжку у 5 розділів, які і є своєрідними підходом акторки для створення майбутнього. Ось авторська низка уроків, завдяки яким можна перетворити теорію на дію й просуватися вперед:
Дозвольте собі вийти за межі очікувань та обмежень (змініть свій спосіб мислення).
Відкривайте в собі дух дослідництва й цікавості (навчайтеся, вишукуйте ідеї, які роблять зміни можливими).
Завзято досліджуйте (шукайте та приймайте інновації).
Опановуйте майстерність оповіді (ви маєте допомогти людям в організації зрозуміти зміни).
Створіть нову операційну систему в організації (поширюйте новий спосіб мислення).
Оскільки авторка розповідає, що в її досвіді спрацювало, що – ні,які навички їй знадобилися на шляху до змін, книжка містить і різні завдання. Вони доволі цікаві та не складні. Спрямовані передусім на відповідальне розмірковування та смілий результат. Ваш результат. Він не може бути поганим чи добрим, він – ваша відповідальність. Наприклад, в одному з розділів Бет Комсток запропонувала заповнити «Бланк дозволу», де ви маєте зробити таке:
спочатку написати перелік справ, яких боїтеся й через це постійно відкладаєте до останнього;
потім скласти список бажаних дій на місяць із обов’язковою умовою: вийти за межі зони комфорту;
виконати завдання «убий дракона» (робота з негативними емоціями);
переформатувати свою роботу (можете навіть перевернути все догори дригом).
І наостанок вам потрібно буде заповнити власне бланк дозволу. У ньому ви, П.І.Б., пишете все, на що даєте собі дозвіл.
Погодьтеся, вельми корисне завдання. І дуже відповідальне.
Робота Комсток у GE полягала в тому, аби принести в компанію нову іскру, яка сприяла би її оновленню, успіху та випередила би майбутні проблеми. Гігантські корпорації час від часу потребують суттєвих перетворень, адже потужній бізнес-машині важко триматися на плаву без найретельнішої уваги та керівництва. Власне, розповідь авторки цікава ще й тим, що вона описує моменти життя корпорації часів Джека Велча, з яким працювала безпосередньо.
Отже, Бет Комсток висвітлює свої численні підприємницькі ініціативи, які дозволили змінити те, до чого багато людей побоялися би й підступитися.
Не чекайте від книжки чітких інструкцій до створення корпоративної стратегії. Це лише спогади бізнес-вумен, її професійна біографія. Але тут є багато засвоєних нею уроків, які стануть у пригоді всім, хто впроваджує зміни у великих організаціях, або просто хоче змінити своє життя. До речі, особисті історії авторки додають розповіді затишку і сприяють зближенню.
Вам сподобається, якщо: ви цікавитеся змінами, не боїтеся їх та вважаєте, що життя без змін неможливе. Або боїтеся, але дуже хочете позбутися страху й почати діяти.
Вам не сподобається, якщо: ви не любите історії успіху або тема організаційних чи особистих змін вас геть не цікавить.
Головна причина прочитати: ви зрозумієте сенс бойового гасла творця змін: «Побачивши кращий шлях, ви зобов’язані ним піти».
https://mind.ua/publications/20205154...
March 4, 2020
Totally not what I expected. It read more like a memoir, than motivational book. Felt long and drawn out.
November 3, 2023
This book was a journey through corporate America. Having worked with many Fortune 1000 companies, I was very intrigued to see the insider's view of how Beth implemented innovations ahead of her time, but also identified issues and lags in the strategy that needed fixing. The book felt like a journal of a mentor that is learning and writing as she learns, thus making me learn from her mistakes - I loved this because the common denominator of corporate America is to hide your mistakes and give glory to your successes.
Also, kudos to Beth for being a female symbol of success and leading by example in a corporate world where women are not as common as men. She did not need artificial means to rise in the company, she had guts and brains.
Furthermore, I had the fortune of asking the following questions to Beth:
1. How would you suggest to someone that has a vision, like Ben from Quirky, to be validated by the business community, accounting for biases related to country of origin, gender, lack of experience?
2. Why do people that have the power to take decisions often are blind-sighted by innovation?
She answered (paraphrasing):
Innovators are so good because they don't look for validation. They want to solve a problem. That's what I love about entrepreneurs and I think you're an entrepreneur if you wake up and want to solve a problem. You can be in a big company or starting your own. You believe you have to solve a problem, take away some pain - you do that and you become successful, then business starts to notice. Therein lies the problem of some of the established business leaders: they get good at something, their business is good and they don't look at what's happening out in the world and so they get caught by surprise, or worse, they dismiss it. There is a quote by Einstein that said: "if at first the idea doesn't seem absurd, then there is no hope for it" and that's part of our job as people pushing for change in organisations -to bring in some of these outside sparks; these innovators within your company to bring forth the idea.
Also, kudos to Beth for being a female symbol of success and leading by example in a corporate world where women are not as common as men. She did not need artificial means to rise in the company, she had guts and brains.
Furthermore, I had the fortune of asking the following questions to Beth:
1. How would you suggest to someone that has a vision, like Ben from Quirky, to be validated by the business community, accounting for biases related to country of origin, gender, lack of experience?
2. Why do people that have the power to take decisions often are blind-sighted by innovation?
She answered (paraphrasing):
Innovators are so good because they don't look for validation. They want to solve a problem. That's what I love about entrepreneurs and I think you're an entrepreneur if you wake up and want to solve a problem. You can be in a big company or starting your own. You believe you have to solve a problem, take away some pain - you do that and you become successful, then business starts to notice. Therein lies the problem of some of the established business leaders: they get good at something, their business is good and they don't look at what's happening out in the world and so they get caught by surprise, or worse, they dismiss it. There is a quote by Einstein that said: "if at first the idea doesn't seem absurd, then there is no hope for it" and that's part of our job as people pushing for change in organisations -to bring in some of these outside sparks; these innovators within your company to bring forth the idea.
February 5, 2020
Business Intelligence. If you are interested in the subject of business, this book is a must read. It very vividly describes the two existing currents in way of of running a business/corporation, the old way: short term thinking-where top level CEO's and shareholders command and benefit, and the emerging new wave: long term, brand based, forward looking model.
September 10, 2019
The reviews are what drew my attention to this book. With words like bold, transparent and practical I knew I had to read it. Wow! What a delightful surprise. Imagine It Forward is at its core about flexibility -no matter the size of the obstacle. From start-ups to one hundred and twenty-five-year-old global leaders. Beth Comstock takes the reader on a walk through the ups and downs of her sixteen-year career at General Electric (GE) with insightful detail. She brilliantly connects the lines between marketing, ingenuity, personal development with real-life experiences. The details she shares gave me a real sense of her authenticity - from her magnificent successes to her epic failures (no spoilers). Comstock has a talent for telling her story from many perspectives - at times I felt like I was there amid it all. This book is really a three-for-one deal. First, it teaches vital business growth principles – like techniques for brainstorming, getting feedback and “finding a spark”. Second, it tells the story of GE’s progression into the twenty-first century – from Edison reinventing the light bulb to digitally monitored jet engines. And third, it introduces us to cutting-edge entrepreneurs - such as Eric Ries, author of The Lean Start-up. If you’re thinking about starting a business or need to grow an existing business Beth Comstock’s Imagine It Forward is a top shelf book.
January 1, 2020
Former Vice Chair of General Electric, Beth Comstock led GE’s efforts to accelerate new growth and operated GE Business Innovations, which develops new businesses, markets, and service models to drive brand value and engage partners to enhance GE’s inventive culture. This unit included GE Lighting, GE Ventures & Licensing and GE sales, marketing and communications.
"Change is a messy, collaborative,
inspiring, difficult, and ongoing process
—like everything meaningful that leads to
human progress."
This book provides valuable insight into how to fight for the future, and make the necessary changes - by relating stories of her own success in applying the methods and activities that made her a success. From disrupting yourself to embracing emergence, she blazes a trail through the difficulty of change and shows us how we can be better pioneers for change in our own companies and cultures.
"Change is a messy, collaborative,
inspiring, difficult, and ongoing process
—like everything meaningful that leads to
human progress."
This book provides valuable insight into how to fight for the future, and make the necessary changes - by relating stories of her own success in applying the methods and activities that made her a success. From disrupting yourself to embracing emergence, she blazes a trail through the difficulty of change and shows us how we can be better pioneers for change in our own companies and cultures.
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