Anatomy of a Breakthrough

Outline

Anatomy of a Breakthrough (2023) explains how people and organisations can get unstuck when progress stalls. Drawing on psychology and many real-life examples, Adam Alter shows why feeling stuck is common, and offers practical strategies for overcoming emotional barriers, generating new ideas, and taking action. The book reassures readers that being stuck is a normal stage on the way to a breakthrough.

• Feeling stuck is common and normal, and it is often a stage on the way to a breakthrough.
• The same psychology that explains stalled progress in individuals also applies to organisations.
• Emotional barriers are a major reason progress stops, and there are practical strategies for working through them.
• Generating new ideas is a skill with its own methods, not just a matter of waiting for inspiration.
• Taking action is what turns a feeling of being stuck into lasting growth.

Adam Alter is an American psychologist and professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He writes about human behaviour and decision making, and his other books include Irresistible.