Design For Strengths: Applying Design Thinking to Individual and Team Strengths

Are you on the cusp of greatness? Do you have untapped potential and talents just waiting to be released? Read this book to learn the same creative problem-solving methodology (Design Thinking) used extensively at Stanford, Google, IDEO, and Apple. This guide will unlock your personal potential, and that of your team and your business.

By exploring the intersection of Design Thinking and strengths-finding, innovation expert John K. Coyle demonstrates what most high achievers intuitively know–that each one of us possesses a unique combination of strengths, talents, skills and capabilities to achieve breakthrough performance–but may need a code to unlock them.

Design for Strengths delivers the process, tools and mindsets required to find and maximize your hidden potential. Illuminated by a captivating narrative of Olympic training and competition, Coyle demonstrates how he used the Design Thinking process and mindset to hack the sport of speedskating and win an Olympic silver medal. This book contains real-life examples of how individuals and organizations can use Design Thinking to define the right problem, and to ask and answer a better question. Instead of "how do I fix my weaknesses?" ask "how can I design for my strengths?"

More than a dozen leading experts contributed to this book, including Steven Kotler, David and Tom Kelley, David Eagleman, Daniel Coyle, Dave Evans and Chip Conley, as well as Olympic gold medalists Apolo Ohno and Meryl Davis. Read the book to expose a hidden-in-plain-sight secret. We all contain the capacity to do something extraordinary–if we design for it.

ADVANCE PRAISE & REVIEWS

“Design your life or someone will design it for you…. John has taken this idea and run with it—the result is this book on Design Thinking and human performance.
What we design, designs us back. This notion is the holy grail because the implication rings so true—we can create ourselves, every moment, through our creative and linguistic choices.”
– JASON SILVA, Emmy-nominated host of National Geographic’s hit TV series, Brain Games, seen in over 100 countries, and creator of Shots of Awe

"Amazing to read about my sport through the lens of Design Thinking! A compelling narrative with practical lessons for business and life!"
– APOLO OHNO, Eight-time Olympic medalist, serial entrepreneur, author of Zero Regrets and winner of season four of Dancing With the Stars