Unlearn

Outline

Unlearn (2018) argues that the habits and beliefs that made people and organisations successful in the past can hold them back in a changing world. Barry O’Reilly presents a simple cycle for growth: unlearn outdated thinking, relearn through small experiments, and achieve breakthroughs. With examples from business leaders, the book helps readers adapt, innovate, and keep improving.

• Habits and beliefs that brought success in the past can become the very thing that holds you back as the world changes.
• Growth follows a simple cycle: unlearn outdated thinking, relearn through small experiments, then reach breakthroughs.
• Letting go of old ways of working is a deliberate step, not something that happens on its own.
• Small experiments are the way to relearn, since they let you test new approaches without betting everything on them.
• Examples from business leaders show how people and organisations adapt, innovate, and keep improving over time.

Barry O’Reilly is a business adviser, entrepreneur, and author who helps leaders and organisations innovate and adapt. He co-wrote Lean Enterprise, a well-known book on how large companies can innovate at scale, and has taught executive programmes on innovation. Unlearn is his first solo book.