Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries

The narrator is a little overenthusiastic, but the principles are sound. Peter Sims applies the idea of "little bets" to a wide variety of situations. Prime examples include Pixar, agile software development, and the military's Iraq counterinsurgency program. The basic idea is to make a series of "little bets" on test projects, aiming to "fail fast" and learn from the experience. Your overall direction will emerge organically from these experiments rather than being imposed top-down. The author considers this approach superior to trying to come up with a grand plan from the beginning. I tend to agree with him; in my own experience, which includes playwriting and software development, working this way is more congenial than the conventional way.

It's not for everyone, though. I can easily imagine Shakespeare and Homer approaching writing by making a series of "little bets," but I can't picture Dante pulling off "The Divine Comedy" this way. Still, it's worth a listen.

This isn't a great audiobook. I am from the technology world, so the iterative/incremental approach that the author advocates here is not new to me. I was hoping for a bit more depth, but there are just a few stories about how you should approach things incrementally. I cannot recommend this book.

> Clearly states key design thinking principles.
> Provides clarifying/amplifying examples from innovative and successful companies.
> Refers to other thinkers on design thinking.

Well written and well read.

Pretty quick listen of the key success factors involved getting a win in the marketplace. Solid narration.

Very interesting, held my attention, well-performed, I think I got a lot out of this book.

He author distills several success stories down to their agile risk taking abilities, encouraging anyone with an idea to go run with it, give implementing it an honest try, and be open to changing and building on it to deliver a successful product