Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less -and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined

I didn't expect such good quality and clean as if it was hand cleaned I have to say this is the best ordering of a book I have had in a long time and the price was awesome I highly recommend this seller

Note: I wrote this as part of a book review series I started at my workplace.What kind of stretching are we talking about? I hope you’re not going to tell me I just need to unlock my inner potential through Downward Facing Dog.Well, I do love yoga, but this is a different kind of stretching altogether. Scott Sonenshein wrote this book to answer the question, “How is it possible to achieve more prosperous organizations, rewarding careers, and fulfilling lives with what’s already in hand?” In other words, how can we stretch the resources we already have to get more use out of them rather than continuously chasing after more resources?What’s the main takeaway?Resourcefulness, resourcefulness, resourcefulness. In the author’s words, “The problem is: We routinely overestimate the importance of acquiring resources but even more significantly underestimate our ability to make more out of those we have.”Can you unpack that a little?A lot of us tend toward a mindset the author calls chasing, in which we believe that the more resources we have, the more we’ll be able to accomplish and the better results we’ll get. As the author puts it, “Most of our time and energy get spent looking for tools and not actually putting nails into walls.” However, this mindset can lead us into perpetual dissatisfaction as we keep comparing our apparent lack of resources to those around us who always seem to have better stuff, and then we just keep amassing more and more resources, many of which go to waste as we lose track of our growing tool box. Worse still, too many resources can actually limit our efficiency and effectiveness because with very few constraints we no longer feel the need to—you knew I was going to say this—think outside the box. Cliché, but true!Stretching embraces the opposite mindset, in which we view constraints as opportunities rather than roadblocks. Instead of bemoaning the lack of a hammer, we find something else at hand to put nails into walls, like a rock or a can of beans. Not only do we waste less time and money going after resources we don’t necessarily need, but also we become more creative and effective problem solvers. We figure out multiple uses for resources that others may see as serving only one function, and we notice potential resources that others may overlook as trash.Nice, but how can this help me in my daily work?Wouldn’t you feel more empowered if you were told that you already have all the resources you need to get the job done? That’s what Sonenshein effectively is arguing here—no glib intended. “By adopting a stretching mind-set,” he says, “we can reach extraordinary potential with what we already have. It’s a matter of recognizing the untapped value in our resources and directing our energy to nurturing and developing what’s in hand.” The key word here is “mind-set”: stretching is not a gimmick for making resources out of thin air, it’s a mind-set that can help us make the most of what we have.Sonenshein cites organizational theorist Martha Feldman as proposing that “almost anything—tangible and intangible—has potential as a resource, but that to become anything valuable requires action. This helps us realize that resources don’t come from outside us—they’re not things we go out and get but rather things we create and shape.” If this sounds a little too woo-woo for you, then put another way, all the author is really saying is that “Constraints can motivate us to be resourceful, act in more creative ways, and solve problems better.” Certainly we could all benefit from the ability to solve problems better with more resourcefulness and creativity.What else makes this book worth the read?In addition to citing research studies that support the stretch mindset, the author shares lots of fascinating stories about people using resources in extraordinary and often unexpected ways. There’s the Van Man, who lives in an old Volkswagen behind a Walmart—even though he’s a multimillionaire. There’s the aspiring filmmaker who made his first movie on a shoestring budget of $3,000, using desk lamps in place of professional lighting and a wheelchair in place of a camera dolly (OK, spoiler alert y’all: it’s Robert Rodriguez ). You can find out how a single mother working as a secretary used her artistic bent to create a best-selling product that revolutionized office work in the twentieth century. And you can read about how America’s first black female millionaire turned her own social, economic, and health limitations into a business that not only made her very successful but also provided many other black women with a path to financial independence. Plus, the author offers some “stretching exercises” (hey, it’s his pun, not mine!), practical tips for using the stretch mindset in action.

Have you ever watched, or been involved in, a business failure, where, despite the best efforts of hardworking people, the business doesn’t survive? Scott Sonenshein lived through it, as he describes in the Introduction to his engrossing book Stretch. (In some books, the reader can skip the intro- not this one; the introduction is a must-read part of the book.) He was hired by start-up Vividence in Silicon Valley at the very apex of the tech boom. Despite prestige VC backers, top-tier hires and $50 million, Vividence didn’t make it. As his career continued, that experience led to an interest in why some well-funded operations don’t succeed, while other, more resource constrained, do.Peter Senge wrote about reinforcing cycles as part of his book The Fifth Discipline, which I consider one of the finest business books ever penned. In it, Senge describes the downward cycle that some companies fall into, and why it is so difficult to reverse. Sonenshein explores those cycles from different point of view- an organization and resource perspective- and develops concepts for the reader to consider on how organizations – and individuals- can take a fresh look at resource availability and achieve much more success with fewer resources.In full disclosure, I had the pleasure of working with Randi Sonenshein, Scott’s wife, who is a highly-accomplished executive in her on right (and a delightful person) and assisted Scott in writing Stretch. And I met Scott on a few occasions. (He is now a Professor of Management at Rice University). Further, while I wasn’t part of Silicon Valley, my employer at that time he was at Vividence was a product and service provider to numerous established tech firms as well as start-ups, and thereby I had a first-row seat as some of our customers flourished and some vanished. Those experiences clearly shape not just one’s thinking but entire career.The core concept that the author develops is that of opposing approaches and mindsets: one that we might label as the conventional U.S. approach of more and better results are obtained by having or acquiring more or better resources. He labels that approach chasing, and the practitioners chasers. The alternative approach is stretching (and stretchers) which requires looking at the available resources in unique and thoughtful ways to get better results from better utilization.Mr. Sonenshein explores those two viewpoints and the effect each has on society, enterprise and the individual. The book title likely gives away that he concludes that stretching is almost always better. The book is liberally peppered with examples of business leaders who’ve employed stretching to optimize resources. While some stretched from lack of an alternative – the beautiful example of young black woman Sarah Breedlove Walker, born in the post-Civil War-South, lifting herself, and then other black women, out of abject poverty by starting a business from almost nothing; other examples feature enterprises like D. G. Yuengling and Son, which could have afforded to devote additional resources to launch a growth strategy, but chose instead to stretch existing resources, acquire used equipment and the like. As opposed to some of its competition at the time – Sonenshein calls out Stroh brewery’s aggressive growth via acquisition strategy only to crash- Yuengling remains as America’s oldest continually operating brewery.In closing chapters, he provides various techniques to examine existing resources to ferret out alternative uses, warns of traps to avoid, and how stretching as individuals can lead to personal growth.Stretch is not only useful, it is an entertaining read.I totally enjoyed it, and it goes in my personal library of business books worth keeping as a reference. Probably next to The Fifth Discipline.

changes the perspective

Do you want to be endlessly chasing more, higher, better etc and be less happy for it?Why not stretch instead?

I read this book at the time that I needed the most. I am in the beginning of my life transformational journey and I had the tendency to seek more resources to succeed in what I started. With Dr Scott insights I started stretching my resources to fullest and my results are incredibly higher than I expected. Thank you Dr. SCOTT. 😊

Extremely disappointed with the print copy! All pages are yellow and stained! I ordered a replacement but the replacement copy is even worse than the previous one! While packing the seller should have at least checked if the book meets the quality standards- it looks like this book has not been printed since the last 5-6 years! Doesn’t look like a fresh copy!Kindly RETURN this item and process my refund - won’t take a chance to order a replacement for the 3rd time!

If you'd like to take your creativity and productivity to the next level, I must recommend you read (or, if audiobook, listen to) this title. It's full of useful and entertaining stories from real life and also includes information on related studies to back up the view that we often do more with less. You won't be bored. But you will be inspired.