I am excited to finally announce the release of my new book, Think Outside the Box: Why Our Greatest Problems Persist and How Curiosity and Courage Can Fix Them.
This announcement comes a little later than I had hoped.
The book has actually been available for a while, but I had planned to wait until the audiobook was live on Audible before making the official announcement. The audiobook has been completed and submitted, but I have been working through the Audible publishing and review process longer than expected, and at this point, I do not have a clear timeline for when that process will be complete.
Eventually, I realized there was little reason to keep waiting.
The book is finished. The print and Kindle editions are available. The ideas are ready to be shared. So rather than allowing one unfinished distribution process to hold everything else up, I decided it was time to put the book out into the world.
In some ways, that decision feels appropriate for a book about questioning processes, focusing on outcomes, and refusing to let systems become obstacles to progress.
This book grew out of a question that has followed me through leadership, business, technology, community involvement, and everyday life:
Why do intelligent, capable people keep struggling with problems they can clearly see?
We live in a world with more information, technology, expertise, and access to answers than any generation before us. Yet organizations continue repeating the same failures. Leaders protect broken processes. Teams become trapped in constant reaction. Communities argue about symptoms while underlying problems remain untouched.
I do not believe we have an intelligence problem.
I believe we have a thinking problem.
What the Book Is Really About
“Think outside the box” has become such a familiar phrase that we barely hear it anymore. It is usually treated as a call to be more creative, unconventional, or innovative.
That is not how I see it.
Thinking outside the box is about responsibility.
It is the willingness to question an assumption when everyone else has accepted it. It is recognizing when a process has stopped supporting good judgment and started replacing it. It is having the courage to name a problem, even when doing so creates discomfort.
The box is not always bad. Systems, policies, structures, and routines are necessary. They help us create order and consistency.
The problem begins when we forget why they exist.
That is when following the process becomes more important than achieving the outcome. People begin treating symptoms instead of solving problems. Compliance replaces curiosity. Responsibility slowly becomes someone else’s job.
This book explores how that happens and what we can do about it.
Built From Real Experience
This is not a collection of abstract theories.
The ideas come from more than two decades of working through real problems involving leadership, technology, cybersecurity, organizational growth, client relationships, team development, and community responsibility.
I have watched good systems become obstacles.
I have watched talented people stop offering ideas because their thinking did not seem valued.
I have watched organizations become exceptionally good at documenting, measuring, and managing problems they never actually solved.
I have also been part of creating those conditions.
That is an important part of the book. This is not written from the position of someone standing outside the problem and criticizing everyone else. It is a diagnosis, a confession, and a challenge.
The box is not only something other people build.
We all help maintain it.
What You Will Find Inside
The book begins by examining the systems, incentives, fears, and conveniences that gradually weaken our ability to think independently.
From there, it explores what real problem solving requires, including curiosity, first principles, personal responsibility, better questions, and a willingness to remain uncomfortable long enough to understand what is actually happening.
The later chapters apply these ideas to business, leadership, and society.
The book also includes The Practitioner’s Toolkit, a practical field guide designed to help readers apply the concepts in meetings, projects, teams, and everyday decisions. It includes a core question bank, a symptom versus problem diagnostic, a process audit, a seven day curiosity challenge, and strategies for people who want to create change without holding formal authority.
Choose the Version That Works for You
Think Outside the Box is available now in print and Kindle formats:
For those who prefer listening, the audiobook is also complete and has been submitted for publication. I am continuing to work through the Audible review and distribution process. I had originally hoped to have the Audible edition available before making this announcement, but that process has taken longer than anticipated.
Rather than continue delaying the release announcement, I decided it was time to share the book now. I will share the Audible link separately as soon as the audiobook becomes available.
A Book for People Who Still Believe Problems Can Be Solved
I wrote this book for leaders who are tired of managing the same problems.
I wrote it for teammates who see something broken but are unsure whether they have the authority to challenge it.
I wrote it for organizations that have become busy, efficient, and increasingly disconnected from meaningful progress.
I wrote it for people who believe curiosity still matters, responsibility cannot always be delegated, and better questions can change the direction of a team, a business, or a community.
Most importantly, I wrote it for people who are willing to stay awake inside the systems they inhabit.
The box is still there.
The question is whether we are willing to see it, challenge it, and accept responsibility for what happens next.
Thank you to everyone who challenged my thinking, encouraged the writing, reviewed early versions, and helped bring this book to life. I am proud of the finished work, and while this announcement came later than I originally intended, I am excited to finally share it with you.
Publications
If you enjoy my content and perspective, you can find all of my current publications here.