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Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results
The transformative system that shows leaders how to rethink their strategies, retool their capabilities, and revitalize their businesses for stronger, longer-lasting success.
There’s a learning curve to running any successful business. But once you begin to rely on past achievements or get stuck in outdated thinking and practices that no longer work, you need to take a step back―and unlearn. This innovative and actionable framework from executive coach Barry O’Reilly shows you how to break the cycle of behaviors that were effective in the past but are no longer relevant in the current business climate, and now limit or may even stand in the way of your success.
With this simple but powerful three-step system, you’ll discover how
1. Unlearn the behaviors and mindsets that prevent you and your businesses from moving forward.
2. Relearn new skills, strategies, and innovations that are transforming the world every day.
3. Break through old habits and thinking by opening up to new ideas and perspectives to achieve extraordinary
results.
Packed with relatable anecdotes and real-world examples, this unique resource walks you through every step of the unlearning process. You’ll discover new ways of thinking and leading in every industry. You’ll identify what you need to unlearn, what to stop, what to keep, and what to change. By intentionally and routinely applying the system of unlearning, you’ll be able to adapt your mindset, adopt new behaviors, acquire new skills, and explore new options that will totally transform your performance and the business you lead. This book will help you let go of the past, and encourage your teams and organization to do the same. When you think big but start small, choose courage over comfort, and become curious to tackle uncertainty, you can achieve new levels of success you never dreamed possible.
Good leaders know they need to continuously learn. But great leaders know when to unlearn the past to succeed in the future. This book shows you the way.
There’s a learning curve to running any successful business. But once you begin to rely on past achievements or get stuck in outdated thinking and practices that no longer work, you need to take a step back―and unlearn. This innovative and actionable framework from executive coach Barry O’Reilly shows you how to break the cycle of behaviors that were effective in the past but are no longer relevant in the current business climate, and now limit or may even stand in the way of your success.
With this simple but powerful three-step system, you’ll discover how
1. Unlearn the behaviors and mindsets that prevent you and your businesses from moving forward.
2. Relearn new skills, strategies, and innovations that are transforming the world every day.
3. Break through old habits and thinking by opening up to new ideas and perspectives to achieve extraordinary
results.
Packed with relatable anecdotes and real-world examples, this unique resource walks you through every step of the unlearning process. You’ll discover new ways of thinking and leading in every industry. You’ll identify what you need to unlearn, what to stop, what to keep, and what to change. By intentionally and routinely applying the system of unlearning, you’ll be able to adapt your mindset, adopt new behaviors, acquire new skills, and explore new options that will totally transform your performance and the business you lead. This book will help you let go of the past, and encourage your teams and organization to do the same. When you think big but start small, choose courage over comfort, and become curious to tackle uncertainty, you can achieve new levels of success you never dreamed possible.
Good leaders know they need to continuously learn. But great leaders know when to unlearn the past to succeed in the future. This book shows you the way.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2018
90 people are currently reading
900 people want to read
About the author
Barry O'Reilly
3 books42 followersBarry O’Reilly is a business advisor, entrepreneur, and author who has pioneered the intersection of business model innovation, product development, organizational design, and culture transformation.
Barry is the co-founder of Nobody Studios, a crowd-infused, high-velocity venture studio with the mission to create 100 compelling companies over the next 5 years.
Barry is the founder of ExecCamp, the entrepreneurial experience for executives, management consultancy Barry O’Reilly, LLC and serves on the Board of many high growth startups—the most recent of which AgileCraft, acquired by Atlassian.
Barry is author of two international bestsellers, Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results, and Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale—included in the Eric Ries series, and a Harvard Business Review must read for CEOs and business leaders.
He is an internationally sought-after speaker, frequent writer and contributor to The Economist, Strategy+Business, and MIT Sloan Management Review.
Barry is faculty at Singularity University, advising and contributing to Singularity’s executive and accelerator programs based in San Francisco, and throughout the globe.
His mission is to help purposeful, technology-led businesses innovate at scale.
Barry is the co-founder of Nobody Studios, a crowd-infused, high-velocity venture studio with the mission to create 100 compelling companies over the next 5 years.
Barry is the founder of ExecCamp, the entrepreneurial experience for executives, management consultancy Barry O’Reilly, LLC and serves on the Board of many high growth startups—the most recent of which AgileCraft, acquired by Atlassian.
Barry is author of two international bestsellers, Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results, and Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale—included in the Eric Ries series, and a Harvard Business Review must read for CEOs and business leaders.
He is an internationally sought-after speaker, frequent writer and contributor to The Economist, Strategy+Business, and MIT Sloan Management Review.
Barry is faculty at Singularity University, advising and contributing to Singularity’s executive and accelerator programs based in San Francisco, and throughout the globe.
His mission is to help purposeful, technology-led businesses innovate at scale.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 24, 2019
I respect Barry for "Lean Enterprise", but "Unlearn" will not be on the list of books I recommend to my co-workers. It's not that the book is bad, but I'm allergic to the idea of "over-bloating" single ideas to the size of book if an essay (article) or short series would be enough.
The whole "Cycle of Unlearning" & the concept of "unlearning" is a triumph of form over content. There's no new concept, no revolutionary idea. It's all about embracing the change, building up high awareness & understanding that evolving context may require different means to be applied to reach the target.
I was thinking about who'd benefit most out of this book? Probably people who need some impulse, words of inspiration & encouragement. Ones who do not need much content/framing, but rather an impulse to get things moving. I'm not such a person - I may not fit the target segment then. But honestly - some of the examples may be inspiring, e.g. the one that opens the book (about Serena Williams).
In the end - it's not a bad book. But I've expected more meaningful content - raw thought-provoking "meat". I didn't get that.
3.5 stars, but I'll round up to 4 because I still think many people will find this book more useful.
The whole "Cycle of Unlearning" & the concept of "unlearning" is a triumph of form over content. There's no new concept, no revolutionary idea. It's all about embracing the change, building up high awareness & understanding that evolving context may require different means to be applied to reach the target.
I was thinking about who'd benefit most out of this book? Probably people who need some impulse, words of inspiration & encouragement. Ones who do not need much content/framing, but rather an impulse to get things moving. I'm not such a person - I may not fit the target segment then. But honestly - some of the examples may be inspiring, e.g. the one that opens the book (about Serena Williams).
In the end - it's not a bad book. But I've expected more meaningful content - raw thought-provoking "meat". I didn't get that.
3.5 stars, but I'll round up to 4 because I still think many people will find this book more useful.
September 3, 2020
I don’t think unlearning is as a radical concept as the synopsis suggests. There are many books on career and progressional development that suggest taking small, actionable steps that create powerful outcomes or results. I do like the suggestion of not clinging on to past successes if you are a leader whose job is to innovate. I preferred Daniel Coyle’s The Little Book of Talent.
February 10, 2019
Barry's produced a super little book here. His framing of the problems many leaders and organisations have as an inability to break old habits, rather than a problem with adopting new ones, seems so obvious in hindsight. It's a book I'm going to be pushing into a few people's hands.
September 3, 2020
Self help номнууд дотроос утга санаагаараа ялгарна гэдэг маш чухал. Энэ номны гол санааг бодох бүрт улам илүү үнэн болж таараад байгаа нь сонирхол татах боллоо.
Бид гаргасан амжилтандаа дулдуйдан явж ирсэн зам, сурсан зүйлээ хамгийн зөв гэдэгт бат итгэдэг. Арга барил, мэдсэн зүйлээ шинэчлэх сайжруулах шаардлагатай бол бүрэн өөрчлөх зориг бидэнд хэрэгтэй байдаг аж.
Сонирхолтой нэгэн түүх дурдахад Серена Виллиамс эх спортоосоо түр хөндийрөөд буцаж орж ирэхдээ маш хэцүү нөхцөл байдалтай тулсан аж. Бэртлийн дараагаар тэрээр дэлхийн чансааны 190 гаруй жагсаж буй хүнд хожигдож олныг итгэлийг алдсан бол удалгүй тэрээр өөрийн олон жилийн дасгалжуулагчаа сольж техникээ өөрчлөн, зогсолтоо сайжруулж улам илүү хүчтэйгээр ирсэн байгаа юм. Энэ мэт түүхүүд олон бий ч өөрийгөө алхам тутамдаа сайжруулах Open mindedness, зарим тохиолдолд өөртөө эргэлзэх зориг хэрэгтэй байдаг аж.
Бид гаргасан амжилтандаа дулдуйдан явж ирсэн зам, сурсан зүйлээ хамгийн зөв гэдэгт бат итгэдэг. Арга барил, мэдсэн зүйлээ шинэчлэх сайжруулах шаардлагатай бол бүрэн өөрчлөх зориг бидэнд хэрэгтэй байдаг аж.
Сонирхолтой нэгэн түүх дурдахад Серена Виллиамс эх спортоосоо түр хөндийрөөд буцаж орж ирэхдээ маш хэцүү нөхцөл байдалтай тулсан аж. Бэртлийн дараагаар тэрээр дэлхийн чансааны 190 гаруй жагсаж буй хүнд хожигдож олныг итгэлийг алдсан бол удалгүй тэрээр өөрийн олон жилийн дасгалжуулагчаа сольж техникээ өөрчлөн, зогсолтоо сайжруулж улам илүү хүчтэйгээр ирсэн байгаа юм. Энэ мэт түүхүүд олон бий ч өөрийгөө алхам тутамдаа сайжруулах Open mindedness, зарим тохиолдолд өөртөө эргэлзэх зориг хэрэгтэй байдаг аж.
February 20, 2019
All too often, we--both as individuals and as organizations--tend to fall back on old, learned habits, when things get tough. Many of those habits aren't very useful anymore, or might even hold us back. In this book, Barry shows the importance of reflecting on what you've learned in the past, and honestly assess if it is still useful today, especially with the dynamics of markets, business, and life in general quickly changing. With many real-world examples, from sports, to businesses to governmental organizations, he shows how unlearning can make space for knew insights and help achieve success in the future.
December 1, 2018
(Disclaimer: Barry is a friend and I provided input into “Unlearn.”)
Over the last five years, a significant part of my job at IBM has been driving positive change in large enterprises—both IBM and with large commercial clients. I believe Barry’s book is an important contribution to the literature on this topic because of the insidious nature of the problem of entrenched mental models at all levels of a company trying to change its business model, routes to market, and ways of working.
As the famous quote goes, attributed to Mark Twain (but perhaps apocryphally):
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
The gist of Barry’s book is that people build mental models over time based on their experiences—both successes and failures. People who achieve leadership positions tend to have more successes than failure, resulting in their mental models becoming entrenched and hard to change. Then, as the world changes, these mental models become less fit to solve modern problems, but it’s very hard for people to change these mental models—oftentimes because people aren’t even consciously aware of them!
Barry starts his book by talking about the why of unlearning (ch. 1), then the how (ch. 2), then the common obstacles to unlearning (ch. 3). He then shares a conceptual framework for unlearning using three parts: unlearn (ch. 4), relearn (ch. 5), and breakthrough (ch. 6). The final five chapters of the book deal with unlearning in several key contexts: management (ch. 7), customers (ch. 8), employees and organizations (ch. 9), incentives (ch. 10), and finally business and product innovation (ch. 11).
While this may sound fairly abstract and conceptual, Barry augments these ideas with accessible examples and stories from a variety of sources, from sports with Serena Williams’ career renaissance to business with Disney’s invention of the MagicBand. These stories both make Barry’s recommendations more tangible but also provide motivation, because the personal and organizational transformation stories he shares are quite dramatic and inspirational—people who managed to get from here to there.
Highly recommended for anyone whose job involves change and reinvention.
Over the last five years, a significant part of my job at IBM has been driving positive change in large enterprises—both IBM and with large commercial clients. I believe Barry’s book is an important contribution to the literature on this topic because of the insidious nature of the problem of entrenched mental models at all levels of a company trying to change its business model, routes to market, and ways of working.
As the famous quote goes, attributed to Mark Twain (but perhaps apocryphally):
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
The gist of Barry’s book is that people build mental models over time based on their experiences—both successes and failures. People who achieve leadership positions tend to have more successes than failure, resulting in their mental models becoming entrenched and hard to change. Then, as the world changes, these mental models become less fit to solve modern problems, but it’s very hard for people to change these mental models—oftentimes because people aren’t even consciously aware of them!
Barry starts his book by talking about the why of unlearning (ch. 1), then the how (ch. 2), then the common obstacles to unlearning (ch. 3). He then shares a conceptual framework for unlearning using three parts: unlearn (ch. 4), relearn (ch. 5), and breakthrough (ch. 6). The final five chapters of the book deal with unlearning in several key contexts: management (ch. 7), customers (ch. 8), employees and organizations (ch. 9), incentives (ch. 10), and finally business and product innovation (ch. 11).
While this may sound fairly abstract and conceptual, Barry augments these ideas with accessible examples and stories from a variety of sources, from sports with Serena Williams’ career renaissance to business with Disney’s invention of the MagicBand. These stories both make Barry’s recommendations more tangible but also provide motivation, because the personal and organizational transformation stories he shares are quite dramatic and inspirational—people who managed to get from here to there.
Highly recommended for anyone whose job involves change and reinvention.
August 6, 2020
Good read for someone new to the idea, may inspire further exploration. Those with more experience will find it shallow, and rather repetitive. Could have been 1/2 the length imo
March 18, 2022
Appreciate reference to B.J. Fogg. Other than that my first unlearn book.
Creating safe-to-fail environment is way to go achieve generative culture with performance focus. Where people has sense of security to take initiative and be creative and try.
≥Success comes to those who are willing to do things differently and learn new skills
≥Unlearning is the process of abandoning mindsets and behaviors that have generated success in the past but are no longer effective.
≥To be successful in the future, we must unlearn the methods that brought success in the past.
≥In a world loaded with information, we often strive to learn more. However, the secret to sustainable success is knowing what to unlearn. Growth, impact, and extraordinary results come from normalizing a system of unlearning.
≥A willingness to take risks and do old things in new ways can keep you successful longer.
≥Stepping out of your comfort zone is inevitable if you want to experience a breakthrough
≥When you go out of your comfort zone, you will discover your blind spots and gain a fresh perspective to solve problems.
>Discovering blind spots leads to unlearning, and gaining fresh perspectives comes from relearning — a combination of unlearning and relearning leads to breakthroughs.
>Research findings from the ‘80s and ‘90s reveal that lifelong learning is a common feature of highly successful people and organizations.
>Knowledge grows, and simultaneously it becomes obsolete as reality changes. Understanding involves both learning new knowledge and discarding obsolete and misleading knowledge.
>Lifelong learning is inseparably linked to unlearning.
Disruption happens all the time, and humans are usually at the receiving end of it. But resilient people learn to innovate, adapt, and anticipate the future.
>Detaching from the past and finding the courage to face an uncertain future are vital decisions to make to embrace unlearning
>To unlearn is to let go of the past, adapt to the situational reality of the present, and develop a strategy for future success.
>When people feel safe, they do better in any chosen endeavor.
>You need to have the courage to be vulnerable enough to admit the limitations of your knowledge.
>Every organization has a peculiar culture that determines how they achieve results. According to Ron Westrum, a Sociology professor at Eastern Michigan University, every organization follows one of three models:
• Pathological Culture where cooperation is low and power-driven
• Bureaucratic Culture where there is moderate cooperation and actions are driven by rules
• Generative Culture is performance-oriented with high cooperation
≥Generative Culture is performance-oriented with high cooperation
>A generative, performance-oriented culture is comfortable with discomfort and highly cooperative.
>Four conditions that create an atmosphere for breakthroughs to occur:
• Reflection
• Transfer of results
• Alignment and Scaling
• Increased rate of unlearning
>Reflection enables you to evaluate the impact of your activities on the overall success of the organization.
>People who feel safe to fail in front of one another go bigger and achieve better breakthroughs.
>According to Google, successful teams possess five vital qualities:
• Psychological Safety
• Dependability
• Structure and Clarity
• Meaning of work
• Impact of work
>Results must be tied to efforts that encourage people to continue on the path of progress. Leaders must learn to ask the right questions and inspire everyone to embrace uncertainty so that uncommon success can happen. Everyone can achieve more under a leadership that is intentional about unlearning.
>Breakthroughs happen in environments with high cooperation rates and a sense of security, where people can take the initiative, and their creativity is encouraged. There is no limit to what we can achieve when we are creative.
>We will thrive when we create a fluid, productive, and safe culture.
Creating safe-to-fail environment is way to go achieve generative culture with performance focus. Where people has sense of security to take initiative and be creative and try.
≥Success comes to those who are willing to do things differently and learn new skills
≥Unlearning is the process of abandoning mindsets and behaviors that have generated success in the past but are no longer effective.
≥To be successful in the future, we must unlearn the methods that brought success in the past.
≥In a world loaded with information, we often strive to learn more. However, the secret to sustainable success is knowing what to unlearn. Growth, impact, and extraordinary results come from normalizing a system of unlearning.
≥A willingness to take risks and do old things in new ways can keep you successful longer.
≥Stepping out of your comfort zone is inevitable if you want to experience a breakthrough
≥When you go out of your comfort zone, you will discover your blind spots and gain a fresh perspective to solve problems.
>Discovering blind spots leads to unlearning, and gaining fresh perspectives comes from relearning — a combination of unlearning and relearning leads to breakthroughs.
>Research findings from the ‘80s and ‘90s reveal that lifelong learning is a common feature of highly successful people and organizations.
>Knowledge grows, and simultaneously it becomes obsolete as reality changes. Understanding involves both learning new knowledge and discarding obsolete and misleading knowledge.
>Lifelong learning is inseparably linked to unlearning.
Disruption happens all the time, and humans are usually at the receiving end of it. But resilient people learn to innovate, adapt, and anticipate the future.
>Detaching from the past and finding the courage to face an uncertain future are vital decisions to make to embrace unlearning
>To unlearn is to let go of the past, adapt to the situational reality of the present, and develop a strategy for future success.
>When people feel safe, they do better in any chosen endeavor.
>You need to have the courage to be vulnerable enough to admit the limitations of your knowledge.
>Every organization has a peculiar culture that determines how they achieve results. According to Ron Westrum, a Sociology professor at Eastern Michigan University, every organization follows one of three models:
• Pathological Culture where cooperation is low and power-driven
• Bureaucratic Culture where there is moderate cooperation and actions are driven by rules
• Generative Culture is performance-oriented with high cooperation
≥Generative Culture is performance-oriented with high cooperation
>A generative, performance-oriented culture is comfortable with discomfort and highly cooperative.
>Four conditions that create an atmosphere for breakthroughs to occur:
• Reflection
• Transfer of results
• Alignment and Scaling
• Increased rate of unlearning
>Reflection enables you to evaluate the impact of your activities on the overall success of the organization.
>People who feel safe to fail in front of one another go bigger and achieve better breakthroughs.
>According to Google, successful teams possess five vital qualities:
• Psychological Safety
• Dependability
• Structure and Clarity
• Meaning of work
• Impact of work
>Results must be tied to efforts that encourage people to continue on the path of progress. Leaders must learn to ask the right questions and inspire everyone to embrace uncertainty so that uncommon success can happen. Everyone can achieve more under a leadership that is intentional about unlearning.
>Breakthroughs happen in environments with high cooperation rates and a sense of security, where people can take the initiative, and their creativity is encouraged. There is no limit to what we can achieve when we are creative.
>We will thrive when we create a fluid, productive, and safe culture.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2018
In Unlearn, Barry O'Reilly breaks down the critical aspects of a model for continual improvement and growth (both personal and collective) that can lead towards continued success.
"Unlearning is not an event. It is ongoing and continuous-- a habit and deliberate practice in itself" - Unlearn (2018) p. 22
"Adopting the Cycle of Unlearning doesn't rely on being smart, or lucky, or desperate, or all of the above. It relies only on you-- your courage and commitment to use it intentionally in your work and your life to achieve extraordinary results." - Unlearn (2018) p. 17
"This approach helps you develop a vision of success in terms that matter to you, your colleagues, or your customers. It creates a personal, shared understanding and ambitious model of what better could be, and it sets a constraint to force a feedback loop, so that we can measure our results and hold ourselves accountable to them." - Unlearn (2018) p. 55
Barry provides a unique improvement on the model of continuous learning, through being intentional to first UNLEARN. He links humility as a critical aspect to recognizing our own need to be able to continue to learn. This allows us to safely question our own assumptions about past successes. Identifying outcomes that match our BIG mission and starting with SMALL behavior change experiments we can safely REFLECT, CORRECT, and REPEAT the relearning process that leads to new mindset and behavior breakthroughs.
I first became familiar with Barry in mid-2015 from listening to a podcast promoting his co-authored book Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale. Barry's conversation about the book led me not only to read the book, but also to use it as the source material for my first leadership offsite in a new role I'd just begun. Over the next few years those seeds challenged us to experiment with (1) team formations based around missions of value delivery, (2) encouraging experimentation through the Improvement Kata across all types of areas of uncertainty, (3)recognizing the value of growth mindsets when hiring and developing people (4) extending career development beyond pure craftsmanship skill, (5) releasing feedback from the chains of the annual performance review, (6) and rethinking planning and budgeting activities as regular recurring conversations instead of annual conventions. After buying the book for the entire leadership team, we went on to buy a copy for every employee in the department and then began providing a copy to each new employee as part of their on-boarding materials.
So, when I saw Barry had a new book coming out I pre-ordered at once. The copy hit my doorstep on its official release day and I immediately dug in. Unlearn gives a deep dive on several of the topics explored in Lean Enterprise as well as expanding the thoughts and examples for applying the Cycle of Unlearning. I've already added this to my short list of book recommendations and it will definitely become part of the on-boarding packet for those I lead in my next role.
"Unlearning is not an event. It is ongoing and continuous-- a habit and deliberate practice in itself" - Unlearn (2018) p. 22
"Adopting the Cycle of Unlearning doesn't rely on being smart, or lucky, or desperate, or all of the above. It relies only on you-- your courage and commitment to use it intentionally in your work and your life to achieve extraordinary results." - Unlearn (2018) p. 17
"This approach helps you develop a vision of success in terms that matter to you, your colleagues, or your customers. It creates a personal, shared understanding and ambitious model of what better could be, and it sets a constraint to force a feedback loop, so that we can measure our results and hold ourselves accountable to them." - Unlearn (2018) p. 55
Barry provides a unique improvement on the model of continuous learning, through being intentional to first UNLEARN. He links humility as a critical aspect to recognizing our own need to be able to continue to learn. This allows us to safely question our own assumptions about past successes. Identifying outcomes that match our BIG mission and starting with SMALL behavior change experiments we can safely REFLECT, CORRECT, and REPEAT the relearning process that leads to new mindset and behavior breakthroughs.
I first became familiar with Barry in mid-2015 from listening to a podcast promoting his co-authored book Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale. Barry's conversation about the book led me not only to read the book, but also to use it as the source material for my first leadership offsite in a new role I'd just begun. Over the next few years those seeds challenged us to experiment with (1) team formations based around missions of value delivery, (2) encouraging experimentation through the Improvement Kata across all types of areas of uncertainty, (3)recognizing the value of growth mindsets when hiring and developing people (4) extending career development beyond pure craftsmanship skill, (5) releasing feedback from the chains of the annual performance review, (6) and rethinking planning and budgeting activities as regular recurring conversations instead of annual conventions. After buying the book for the entire leadership team, we went on to buy a copy for every employee in the department and then began providing a copy to each new employee as part of their on-boarding materials.
So, when I saw Barry had a new book coming out I pre-ordered at once. The copy hit my doorstep on its official release day and I immediately dug in. Unlearn gives a deep dive on several of the topics explored in Lean Enterprise as well as expanding the thoughts and examples for applying the Cycle of Unlearning. I've already added this to my short list of book recommendations and it will definitely become part of the on-boarding packet for those I lead in my next role.
February 15, 2019
Outstanding, Experienced-Based Analysis by Barry O'Reilly. Too often do we get caught up pressing old methods and expecting a new result. Barry breaks down how to transform current thinking framework and evolve outdated business practices, to catapult skills and strategies into the present and future eras. Barry outlines his three-step system, to discover how to UNLEARN old behaviors and mindsets, RELEARN new skills, strategies and innovations, and BREAKTHROUGH with a fresh perspective to achieve extraordinary results. From his many years working with, advising and coaching high-level executives, Barry has seen first-hand how much of a deep impact can be achieved by breaking old habits and restructuring thinking patterns down to the very core.
In the business world, we feel the pressure to simply keep charging and charging forward. UNLEARN reminds us that what we really need to do is take a step back, restructure our current thinking patterns and habits, see fresh perspectives of the current situation, and open up fresh potential to transform your current performance and trajectory. Barry also discusses how in high-level positions, it's easy to get into a comfortable groove, and stop taking chances. We must utilize our full potential by allowing ourselves to continue to be inspired and absorb fresh perspectives.
"Good leaders know they need to continuously learn. But great leaders know when to unlearn the past to succeed in the future. This book shows you the way."
Excellent read. Absolutely reserve a spot on your shelf for #UNLEARN!
In the business world, we feel the pressure to simply keep charging and charging forward. UNLEARN reminds us that what we really need to do is take a step back, restructure our current thinking patterns and habits, see fresh perspectives of the current situation, and open up fresh potential to transform your current performance and trajectory. Barry also discusses how in high-level positions, it's easy to get into a comfortable groove, and stop taking chances. We must utilize our full potential by allowing ourselves to continue to be inspired and absorb fresh perspectives.
"Good leaders know they need to continuously learn. But great leaders know when to unlearn the past to succeed in the future. This book shows you the way."
Excellent read. Absolutely reserve a spot on your shelf for #UNLEARN!
August 7, 2019
I just finished reading the book from @Barry Oreilly, ‘Unlearn’. As I had the pleasure to attend the Agile Lean Ireland conference this year, I had already heard a good summary of the book through Barry O'Reilly’s Keynote, but it was still a good exercise to take a deep dive in some of the fundamentals and pitfalls of change management.
What I always look for when reading a book is practical experiences and examples, not just theory. and Unlearn met my expectations, the book includes several detailed experiences on how the principles from Unlearn have been applied.
Two aspects highlighted by Barry in ‘Unlearn’ have strongly called my attention: the lack of effectivity of 2-days workshops, and the need to unlearn our actual management behaviors before moving on to the next stage of business agility.
I am really impressed by the concept applied in ExecCamp. As described in the book, it is a courageous approach to secure endurance in the learnings of new mindsets, by holding the executive board of companies not just two days out of work, but 6-8 weeks! Bold, advanced, and as Barry describes, very effective!
The concept of ‘unlearn’ as such is simple, but terribly powerful: it is a fundamental pivot on the mindset how we implement change in the organizations! It is not just about moving on, about changing mindsets, it is about accepting there is a legacy to be handled, which cannot be ignored.
Fazit: even if there are many books out there speaking about change management, Unlearn makes a small but fundamental difference.
What I always look for when reading a book is practical experiences and examples, not just theory. and Unlearn met my expectations, the book includes several detailed experiences on how the principles from Unlearn have been applied.
Two aspects highlighted by Barry in ‘Unlearn’ have strongly called my attention: the lack of effectivity of 2-days workshops, and the need to unlearn our actual management behaviors before moving on to the next stage of business agility.
I am really impressed by the concept applied in ExecCamp. As described in the book, it is a courageous approach to secure endurance in the learnings of new mindsets, by holding the executive board of companies not just two days out of work, but 6-8 weeks! Bold, advanced, and as Barry describes, very effective!
The concept of ‘unlearn’ as such is simple, but terribly powerful: it is a fundamental pivot on the mindset how we implement change in the organizations! It is not just about moving on, about changing mindsets, it is about accepting there is a legacy to be handled, which cannot be ignored.
Fazit: even if there are many books out there speaking about change management, Unlearn makes a small but fundamental difference.
January 22, 2019
This book was a pleasure to read. The words flowed easily as they illuminated the authors 'experiences, thoughts and perspectives about how to unlearn knowledge and habits that may have produced success in the past but no longer are as productive or even may be detrimental to further development.
The knowledge and examples are applicable across an infinite array of endeavors or interests. It is not limited to business or sports. It was immediately valuable to me as I strive to be a better husband to my wife and father to my children.
My family experience as a youth was full of endless turmoil and disappointment. At times and fortunately infrequently,I find myself repeating old behaviors and using old and ineffectual responses to family dynamics and stresses.
I have to unlearn these behaviors by first gaining an awareness of who I really am as a product of my upbringing, identifying what responses and perspective are effective and ineffective, and then developing an appropriate action plan. The response of each individual family member will be the judge of my success. The changing relationship dynamics, ideally, will be the positive affirmation of the knowledge provided in " Unlearn".
The knowledge and examples are applicable across an infinite array of endeavors or interests. It is not limited to business or sports. It was immediately valuable to me as I strive to be a better husband to my wife and father to my children.
My family experience as a youth was full of endless turmoil and disappointment. At times and fortunately infrequently,I find myself repeating old behaviors and using old and ineffectual responses to family dynamics and stresses.
I have to unlearn these behaviors by first gaining an awareness of who I really am as a product of my upbringing, identifying what responses and perspective are effective and ineffective, and then developing an appropriate action plan. The response of each individual family member will be the judge of my success. The changing relationship dynamics, ideally, will be the positive affirmation of the knowledge provided in " Unlearn".
July 14, 2025
light read, useful general industry examples, tips and information.
some points from the book:
“discover the recipes that you are using and unlearn them” intentionally, so that you find new paths towards a solution or a way of achieving something.
what’s the smallest step you can take towards an outcome? start there if the challenge looks difficult. “tiny habits”
“behaviour happens when 3 things come together: motivation, ability and a prompt. (…) motivation, ability and a prompt must converge at the same moment for a behaviour to occur.”
“when you’re trying to design for new behaviours it’s best to prompt the behaviour by making it really easy to do and reduce reliance on high levels of motivation as a result. if something is really easy to do and people still don’t do the behaviour, you’re probably trying to match the wrong behaviour to them.”
“maxim no 1: help people do what they already want to do
maxim no 2: help people feel successful
relearning in action.”
“moving authority to the appropriate individual is what creates accountability.”
(good) leaders are critical of themselves as well as other people.
some points from the book:
“discover the recipes that you are using and unlearn them” intentionally, so that you find new paths towards a solution or a way of achieving something.
what’s the smallest step you can take towards an outcome? start there if the challenge looks difficult. “tiny habits”
“behaviour happens when 3 things come together: motivation, ability and a prompt. (…) motivation, ability and a prompt must converge at the same moment for a behaviour to occur.”
“when you’re trying to design for new behaviours it’s best to prompt the behaviour by making it really easy to do and reduce reliance on high levels of motivation as a result. if something is really easy to do and people still don’t do the behaviour, you’re probably trying to match the wrong behaviour to them.”
“maxim no 1: help people do what they already want to do
maxim no 2: help people feel successful
relearning in action.”
“moving authority to the appropriate individual is what creates accountability.”
(good) leaders are critical of themselves as well as other people.
September 6, 2019
At first it seems ridiculously simple and obvious, but after examining my own beliefs and behaviours in response to the key ideas of this book, it’s suddenly profound. Of course what’s led to success in the past won’t necessarily lead to future successes. And, of course new challenges require new thinking and action. What’s less obvious, is how to identify the personal obstacles that are in the way of new thinking, then systematically overcome them. And that’s exactly what this book does.
Barry O’Reilly gives a clear model (unlearn -> relearn -> breakthrough), with relevant real world examples, and clear, practical advice to get started. Specifically, the O’Reilly covers how these ideas can be applied to: management; understanding customers; people and organisations; and product/business development.
I find myself dipping in and out of this book as new questions and challenges arise in my own work. It’s not a reference book per se, but I do use it place to go when I need to kickstarts my brain into a different kind of thinking, to solve challenge of the day.
Barry O’Reilly gives a clear model (unlearn -> relearn -> breakthrough), with relevant real world examples, and clear, practical advice to get started. Specifically, the O’Reilly covers how these ideas can be applied to: management; understanding customers; people and organisations; and product/business development.
I find myself dipping in and out of this book as new questions and challenges arise in my own work. It’s not a reference book per se, but I do use it place to go when I need to kickstarts my brain into a different kind of thinking, to solve challenge of the day.
January 23, 2024
Interesting take on learning to build new habits. It overlaps with the ideas of nudge and atomic habits to find new solutions to existing problems (ranging from small changes that add up to great effect to doing full first-principle approach and pivoting solution entirely).
The core premise is focused around our habits that we first need to unlearn previous patterns to apply a new approach. This can start small (with changing small habits) and scale big (matter of fact they advocate for achieving a big vision through small changes).
There are also elements of KPIs in there (see Measure what Matters) to keep track of not watermelon metrics, that skew representation due to fear, but rather metrics that are truthful representation of the realities and provide a culture that embraces and learns from failures.
The core premise is focused around our habits that we first need to unlearn previous patterns to apply a new approach. This can start small (with changing small habits) and scale big (matter of fact they advocate for achieving a big vision through small changes).
There are also elements of KPIs in there (see Measure what Matters) to keep track of not watermelon metrics, that skew representation due to fear, but rather metrics that are truthful representation of the realities and provide a culture that embraces and learns from failures.
January 8, 2019
Excellently written. Full of real case studies and compelling examples by the author, Unlearn presents a process for getting past a myopic viewpoint where you're solving immediate tasks (and looking busy) to the real task of building a game-changing vision. The book shows how to break down what could be an overwhelming and scary process into small, practical and doable steps that foster courage and experimentation. Also importantly it demonstrates how this new approach to problem solving that takes you from outdated thinking can be fostered by leaders to create a powerful growth mindset in the whole of their organisation's culture. Essential reading for leaders and innovators who want to be at the cutting edge of their business.
September 1, 2019
Unlearn helped me boil down one of the key reasons that I've left organizations in the past. Complacency and a sense of "well, that's how we always done things around here" can lead to subpar performance, atrophy, and potential catastrophe. Squeezing just a little more water from a rock in a bid to capture profits is no way to run a business. The Cycle of Unlearning that Barry talks about is a mindset and process to let go of things that you've done in the past. I was most intrigued to read about the references to Google’s Aristotle Project, since I HAVE been on teams where those success criteria are met. It's a fabulous place to be!
March 18, 2020
“There comes a time in the life of every individual when doing the things that brought you success in the past no longer delivers the same results.” We must unlearn the mindsets, behaviors, and methods that were once effective but now limit our success. Choosing courage over comfort can take you to places you never imagined possible. He provides case studies of organizations and individuals unlearning, such as Disney, IAG, NASA, and Serena Williams. He points out that for 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire occupied more than 1.9 million square miles and included approximately 20 percent of the world’s population. For almost 500 years, the Romans experienced tremendous success. But According to Montesquieu: [The] main reason for the Romans becoming masters of the world was that, having fought successively against all peoples, they always gave up their own practices as soon as they found better ones.” I found the book a bit redundant, making the same point over and over. But there’s no doubt the concept of Unlearning is an important part of any change management program, and it is difficult to implement. Some other worthwhile points:
Disruption does not actually apply to organizations. The truth is it applies to individuals.
When we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future. ��Marie Kondō
The Unlearn system: Step One: Unlearn. Give up the erroneous belief that doing what brought you success today will bring you success tomorrow. Step Two: Relearn—challenge your existing mental models of the world. While you think big, you must also start small—don’t take unrecoverable risks. Step Three: Breakthrough. “Leaders believe they simply need to tell people to think differently, and they will act differently. This is a fallacy that must, in fact, be unlearned. The way to think differently is to act differently.”
Disruption does not actually apply to organizations. The truth is it applies to individuals.
When we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future. ��Marie Kondō
The Unlearn system: Step One: Unlearn. Give up the erroneous belief that doing what brought you success today will bring you success tomorrow. Step Two: Relearn—challenge your existing mental models of the world. While you think big, you must also start small—don’t take unrecoverable risks. Step Three: Breakthrough. “Leaders believe they simply need to tell people to think differently, and they will act differently. This is a fallacy that must, in fact, be unlearned. The way to think differently is to act differently.”
February 21, 2019
This book is like a reference manual to me and not just a read-once-and-done.
Unlearning is surely an act of being vulnerable. You need to allow the vulnerability and be uncomfortable in uncertain environments. That is where learning happens. Much of what may be preventing us from fulfilling our full potential lies in that uncomfortable space. And a new definition of Failure - "Failure is to do what had been done before."
I highly recommend this book to people who have a bias towards "Action and Results"
Unlearning is surely an act of being vulnerable. You need to allow the vulnerability and be uncomfortable in uncertain environments. That is where learning happens. Much of what may be preventing us from fulfilling our full potential lies in that uncomfortable space. And a new definition of Failure - "Failure is to do what had been done before."
I highly recommend this book to people who have a bias towards "Action and Results"
February 14, 2020
Filled with great examples and case studies, Barry O’Reilly’s Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results, can easily be applied to more than just executives and entrepreneurs. As a former educator, unlearning and relearning is crucial to keep up with strategies to meet the needs of various learners in the classroom. This book is a great reminder that we all need to take a step back and reflect on our past achievements and think about the areas we get stuck. Barry shows us how to break the cycle of learned behaviors that are no longer serving us though a three-step system. Great insightful book for anyone in any industry.
February 6, 2019
Unlearn is a well-written book with very valuable insights which remind me of a Darwinian approach to go about things in life, especially complex ones.
For people with a background in the subject of the book, it can get a bit repetitive, in my opinion, and maybe the wealth of the content put there could have been condensed into a few less chapters.
I loved the stories shared about companies going into an unlearning phase at critical moments in their life!
For people with a background in the subject of the book, it can get a bit repetitive, in my opinion, and maybe the wealth of the content put there could have been condensed into a few less chapters.
I loved the stories shared about companies going into an unlearning phase at critical moments in their life!
February 12, 2019
I really enjoyed this and it definitly got me thinking. There are a lot of parallels with outher approaches I have seen referenced when considering learning organizations and DevOps, but the way the Cycle of Unlearning is framed makes it quite clear. I also really enjoyed the review of NASAs approach, and the analysis of the normalization of deviance. A lot to go through, really, and hopefully apply to improve personaly and in the orgs I'm in.
February 20, 2019
This book is helping me realize how I rely on old knowledge to do things and how it’s keeping me from becoming more affective in the things I want to accomplish. Ever feel like email is taking over your life? What about, can’t seem to make process without starting over our having massive change for work or home life? Why can’t we think big and start small to learn new ideas and turn them into actions that can bring about a more enjoyable home and work life. Let’s Un-Learn. Enjoy.
April 15, 2019
I have listened to about the first third of this book. It seemed like a fairly unstructured, reworded summary of books and concepts I have already come across. The title "Unlearn" did not make a lot of sense to me, because unlearning to me means actively eliminating knowleadge whereas what Barry describes is more like learning new ways of doing thigs. However, he applies this word to a variety of contexts.
August 30, 2020
The Cycle of Unlearning is a system that will change how you think, view, and carry out your role as a leader. By accepting that the strategies you used yesterday may not serve you today, you become open to new ideas, possibilities, and methodologies. These open ideas can be fostered under an environment that values continuous innovation and empowerment of experimentation. This shall lead to new discovery you need and it will help you guarantee your ongoing success.
March 29, 2022
To unlearn, let go of your past success.
If you wanna become the kind of leader who can weather every storm, you need to be aware of the internal obstacles that stop you from unlearning, because knowledge is no longer something that can be passed from generation to generation.
You have to recognize what's outdated and seek out fresh ideas & strategies. Also, taking feedback seriously, not personally.
If you wanna become the kind of leader who can weather every storm, you need to be aware of the internal obstacles that stop you from unlearning, because knowledge is no longer something that can be passed from generation to generation.
You have to recognize what's outdated and seek out fresh ideas & strategies. Also, taking feedback seriously, not personally.
January 18, 2019
Whether you’re concerned about how we educate and learn as a society in an increasingly uncertain world or are an executive looking to get you, your team, and your company to the next level, this book is a must read for 2019 and beyond. I’ll be returning to this again as I try to unlearn and relearn.
January 12, 2020
I feel bad writing this. I’ve seen the author speak (in his Lean Enterprise time) and found him insightful. However, I couldn’t get anything useful out of this book. He seems to refer to anything (at least learning, iterating, testing, improving) as “unlearning” and for me most of the book was lost in this confusion. Made it halfway through the book before quitting. Sorry, Barry.
February 5, 2020
Unlearn illustrates very well how old habits and automatic thinking pattern hold us back from shifting to new ways of solving problems. Having been through cycles of unlearning - relearning - breakthrough, I know about the power of the tiny changes that add up to big impact over time. The book gives concrete ideas how to start such a cycle.
July 26, 2023
Emphasizes the importance of enthusiasm to continuosly learn (even if it means unlearning) and not to rely purely on successful experience especially for entrepreneurs, startups and tech industries where innovation matters.
Hmm... I somewhat disagree because too much of either way is bad so intuition must be applied to balance between applying learning and to unlearn and relearn.
Hmm... I somewhat disagree because too much of either way is bad so intuition must be applied to balance between applying learning and to unlearn and relearn.
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