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A review of

Upstream

The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen


Be Proactive

by David Meyer

Best-selling author Dan Heath addresses problem-solving from a new and effective perspective with his usual wit and insight into human nature.

Academic and social entrepreneurship researcher Dan Heath shines a spotlight on how to stave off widespread crises before they happen. Heath provides valuable insights into how human tendencies – including problem blindness, avoiding responsibility, and “tunneling” when feeling overwhelmed – can contribute to making bad situations worse. Heath argues that prevention is more effective than cure. His prescriptive book offers essential reading for policy makers, leaders and anyone seeking to solve the world’s intractable problems.

This Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller was named Book of the Month by the Financial Times, whose reviewer wrote that Heath provides “… a substantial feel that some more superficial problem-solving manuals lack.” And Publishers Weekly wrote, “Heath observes it’s easy to become accustomed to putting out fires instead of looking for the spark that’s igniting them...This is a pragmatic guide for those seeking big changes on either an individual or organizational level.”


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