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CONTENTS
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: The Art of Being
Unreasonable
Being Unreasonably
Unreasonable
Discovering the Art of Unreason
Chapter 2: Why Not? The Powerful
Question
“Why Not?” as the First Step to
Success
Nothing Sets Me Off More Than
Being Told I Can’t Do Something
“Why Not?” Should Be
Something You Ask Every Day
Chapter 3: Forget Conventional
Wisdom
Conventional Wisdom Strangles
Innovation
Innovation Is a Permanent
Revolution
Success Is a Starting Point, Not a
Conclusion
Nothing Lasts Forever
Look Outside Your Personal and
Professional Comfort Zone
Chapter 4: Do Your Homework No
Matter How Much Time It Takes
Don’t Waste Time on Shortcuts

Which Is Less Than You Think
Not Everyone Needs 8 Hours
Setting Priorities Means Being
Disciplined, but Not Rigid
If You Can’t Delegate, It’s Not
Them, It’s You
Try Saying “Let’s Move On”—
Even to Me
Chapter 7: Bright and Young Is a
Winning Combination
Sometimes You Are What You
Wear
Interviews Don’t Have to Be
Tricky
Qualifications Are Almost
Everything
How to Keep ’Em Once You
Hire ’Em
Youth Can Be a Risky Bet
Older People Can Be Young Too
Chapter 8: Risk
Clinging to Safety Is More
Irrational Than Taking Risk
Asking the Key Questions
Risk Can Be Contagious—Don’t
Catch the Deadly Kind
Never Bet the Farm—Or Even
Half the Farm
Chapter 9: How to Get Results
Make Sound Promises and Offer

Focus on Picking an Advisor, Not
Stocks
Diversify or Die
Volatility Happens
Chapter 13: Negotiation
How to Make a Sound Offer
Every Time
In a Good Negotiation,
Everybody Wins
Never Be Afraid to Ask
Surviving the Silences and the
Stares—Stay Unemotional and
Disciplined
Be Ready to Say Yes and Don’t
Sit Down Unless You Can Make
a Decision
Don’t Swing Wildly—Start Close
to Where You Want to End Up
Never Forget What Makes the
Other Guy Tick
Chapter 14: The Logic of Being
Logical
A Logical Idea Is One That
Makes You Say, “Why Didn’t I
Think of That?”
Like Wine, an Idea May Need to
Age
Chapter 15: I Ain’t Nothing but a
Hound Dog
Go After Big Game

Disagreement Is Healthy—Learn
How to Distinguish It from
Dissent
Good Principles Are Portable—
Stick to Them
Let Go of Power Before You Let
Go of Principles
Don’t Become Ensnared by Egos
—Not Even Your Own
If You’re in the Way, Move
Nothing Wins People Over Like
Success
Chapter 19: Giving Back
Everyone Can Be a Philanthropist
—Not Just the Rich
Don’t Just Give It Away—Look
for the Place to Make a
Difference
Start Giving Now—And It
Doesn’t Have to Be Money
Be a Philanthropic Game
Changer—Start Local and Think
Like an Entrepreneur
Chapter 20: Education: Never Let a
Crisis Go to Waste
The World Is Moving Forward,
but American Education Is
Stagnant
If There’s a Crisis, Get Involved
and Make a Change

Appendix
Supplemental Images
Index
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Copyright © 2012 by Eli Broad. All rights
reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken,
New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of
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Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive,
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the publisher and author have used their best
efforts in preparing this book, they make no
representations or warranties with respect to the

(ebk); 978-1-118-26464-5 (ebk)
To Edye, the love of my life
FOREWORD
Michael Bloomberg
We have all met unreasonable people in our lives.
Some of us have even been called unreasonable—
or worse. But if ever there’s been someone
qualified to write a book on being unreasonable, it
is Eli Broad. And if ever there’s been a time when
we need more people to be unreasonable—in
business, philanthropy, and especially government
—it’s right now.
Eli Broad’s life is a great American story, not
only because it is a story of hard work and
success, but because it’s a story of dreams—of
pushing into new frontiers and believing that the
impossible can be achieved. That’s what Eli has
done throughout his life, and it’s why he has
accomplished as much as he has. But this book is
less about what Eli has done and more about how
he has done it.