Be Unreasonable

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One of my favourite novels is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. At one point in the book, the main character (Yossarian) is explaining his reasoning to his superior officer. When he finishes, the officer asks what the world would be like if everyone thought that way. Yossarian replies, “Well, I’d be a fool to think any other way then, wouldn’t I?”

I thought of that line when I started reading Be Unreasonable, where author Paul Lemberg defines being reasonable as using “the same strategies everyone else uses.” Examples of these strategies being things like setting your goals only slightly higher than last year and being conservative in setting deadlines in order that you can reach them in time.

Lemberg suggests that strategies such as these won’t make you stand out from the crowd, and instead you need to turn that thinking on its head – be unreasonable – in order to get ahead (whatever that means for you). Examples of unreasonable strategies are “saying yes to yourself every time someone says no to your idea” and “doing more than you are asked for”. However, I should point out that Lemberg isn’t advocating being reckless—indeed, he’s quite clear that you should take full responsibility for everything you do, and be accountable to those you work with.

The book is split into six chapters, the first of which is the “Unreasonable Manifesto”. The second chapter provides more insight into why you might want to be unreasonable, and the subsequent chapters cover strategy, thinking, tactics and execution. The book is structured well, and it’s a very easy read. I found it reminiscent of some of Seth Godin’s work such as Free Prize Inside. Where Godin talks about being remarkable, Lemberg talks about being unreasonable. The end result is essentially the same: you’ll stand out from the crowd due to your effectiveness. If you’ve already read Free Prize Inside, then you may not get anything new from Being Unreasonable. However, I found it to be different enough to be a worthwhile read on its own, so I definitely recommend it.