Little Bets

How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries

By: Peter Sims

Narrated by: John Allen Nelson

What do Apple CEO Steve Jobs, comedian Chris Rock, prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, the story developers at Pixar films, and the Army Chief of Strategic Plans all have in common? Best-selling author Peter Sims found that all of them have achieved breakthrough results by methodically taking small, experimental steps in order to discover and develop new ideas.

Rather than believing they have to start with a big idea or plan a whole project out in advance, trying to foresee the final outcome, they make a series of little bets about what might be a good direction, learning from lots of little failures and from small but highly significant wins that allow them to happen upon unexpected avenues and arrive at extraordinary outcomes.

Based on deep and extensive research, including more than 200 interviews with leading innovators, Sims discovered that productive, creative thinkers and doers---from Ludwig van Beethoven to Thomas Edison and Amazon's Jeff Bezos---practice a key set of simple but ingenious experimental methods, such as failing quickly to learn fast, tapping into the genius of play, and engaging in highly immersed observation, that free their minds, opening them up to making unexpected connections and perceiving invaluable insights. These methods also unshackle them from the constraints of overly analytical thinking and linear problem solving that our education places so much emphasis on, as well as from the fear of failure, all of which thwart so many of us in trying to be more innovative.

©2011 Peter Sims (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Diverse and uplifting---a veritable gumball machine of memorable anecdotes to inspire creativity." ( Kirkus)

Wonderful insight

This book is amazing. I'm surprised that I hadn't heard about it before. Once you listen to it, its central idea seems quite logical but for some reason people don't think like that. Highly recommend it.

Great content, narration could be better

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

I enjoyed the book.

A good read and I learned about myself in the process. I highly recommend it.

Best book on Audible!!!

Don’t take my word for it listen to the book and you’ll find out for yourself.

well paced, good examples of techniqes in action

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

Very good, would recommend

Where does Little Bets rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

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

Worth listening to, but won't change your life

This is one of those books that picks 4-5 case studies (Chris Rock, Pixar, HP, etc) and then uses them throughout the book to illustrate various related points. There's not much deep analysis, but some of the stories are interesting. If you're someone who can use a little insight to think deeper in your own context, you'll get something out of this. If you're just interested in what's being read to you, it's average material.

I noticed the narrator pronounces "important" like "impordant." It was so noticeably that I realized the author uses the word "important" an incredible number of times in the book.

excellent reminder to avoid mediocrity

Emerson wrote that we most often overlook our own genius because it is our own.

for business people

I love this book it was really great. I would say it is along the lines of some of what you might hear in the Lean Startup. But it has even more focus on the trying things out. I have benefited a lot from it and plan to make this a must-read for my company.

Informative, but repetitive

Enjoyed Little Bets... Solid insight, but I repetitive as you get further along in the book. “Chris Rock, Chris Rock, Chris Rock”