Review of The Art of Possibility

The Art of Possibility, written by Zander & Zander is a compelling and insightful book about creating possibility. The authors give the reader 12 practices about making this possibility a reality. Each practice is paralleled with stories from their careers. My favorite practice is "Giving an A."
“The practice of giving an A transports your relationships from the world of measurement to the world of possibilities. When you give an A, you find yourself speaking to people not from a place of measuring how they stack up against your standards, but from a place of respect that gives them room to realize themselves.” (p. 26)When you know that you are going to be measured, you are less likely to take risks.
Ben Zander gives all his students in the beginning of the term an A. The students then write a past tense letter—as if they have already finished the course—explaining why the deserve the A. This gives the students a potential to live up to. More often than not, people are more apt to be critical on themselves.

After reading this chapter, I reflected on how much of my life is spent on measuring things. I will now look at life in a different way giving other people As. I would also like to try the the "Giving an A" practice with my students---not sure how to do that yet though!