Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Alter

I never considered myself as a writer. My experience in this realm was the essays and homework I needed to do at university or school. However, recently, I was researching how I can absorb more from the books I read (people who know me, know that I’m a bookworm) and one thing that seems to help is to write about it. It consolidates the acquired knowledge. So, here I am writing about the book I just read and analysing how it helped me in my work in the hopes it helps you too. My Literature teacher will be proud.

Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most

This book from Adam Alter was a recommendation from a training I did at Mercedes-Benz.io. The purpose of the training was to enable me as an Engineering Manager and help improve the quality of the talks I have with my teams and challenging performance conversations. The main topic addressed in its pages resonated with me since there were occasions in my life when I felt unable to go on, to move forward, to solve a problem.

The book covers a very concrete aspect that affects all of us at some point in life: we face the daunting challenge of getting stuck in our projects, ideas, careers or personal lives. It is not only artists or writers that deal with this (the famous writer’s block) but also us as engineers and innovators.

The book starts by demystifying the concept of being "stuck," whether in creative pursuits, problem-solving or professional growth. He argues that stuckness is a natural part of the innovation process rather than a sign of failure. Recognizing this can transform our perspective, making us more resilient and better equipped to tackle obstacles.

As developers, we like a roadmap to help us surpass the challenges and the book provides just that! To overcome this blocking state, we need to go through the below phases:

1. Help+Help: we need to recognise the forces that keep us stuck and how they emotionally affect us. They can be either internal or external. As people say, “the first step is to recognise you have a problem”, then you can address it.
2. Head: it is important to make small and strategic adjustments along the way. The author shares several strategies such as reframing and simplifying problems, recombining different ideas, pivoting when necessary, seeking diverse perspectives, and experimenting with new approaches (this sounds like product development, right?). These adjustments can help us find new pathways and solutions.
3. Habit: The final phase is the breakthrough itself. In the end, surpassing being stuck is often the result of taking action, experimentation, persistence and incremental efforts rather than sudden epiphanies. Therefore, we need to celebrate small wins and keep the momentum.

Some Takeaways for Engineers and Myself After Reading This Book

• As we do in our products, to get unstuck embrace iteration. We can use this mindset to navigate complex challenges. Keep improving, simplify complex problems, test your assumptions, and refine your methods.
• When feeling stuck, focus on reducing anxiety so you can move beyond paralysis. Instead of aiming for perfection’s unattainable standards, strive for excellence. In some situations, it’s difficult for me to differentiate between excellence and perfection. It is normally a matter of energy: how much more energy do you want to spend to have an even better (almost perfect) result?
• Leveraging diverse perspectives is something very well established in the literature and this book also highlights the importance of cross-disciplinary thinking and collaboration. As members of a team, we must share our unique experiences and perspectives and, with this, create innovative solutions.
• Keeping yourself curious and questioning your views reduces the chances of getting stuck.
• We need to cultivate resilience and see setbacks as learning opportunities for growth and long-term success. Success often takes a long time to materialize, so don’t give up too quickly.
• Taking action moves you out of your “stuckness”. In my case, especially when I face a “work problem”, I try to read about the topic and come up with my conclusion or insight – that’s the action I usually take. This gives me the sensation of dealing with the problem smartly and entertaining myself along the way.

Reading this book was a good addition to my knowledge toolbox. It reshaped my understanding of how to deal with obstacles and has provided practical tools I can apply both within our engineering teams and in my personal life. It made me reflect that I tend to think about the right and perfect solution for my issues instead of iterating. After reading the book I am more prone to experimenting a little more.

One thing I really enjoy about such a book is the real-world examples and case studies, making it not only insightful but also highly relatable.

Final Words If I Haven't Convinced You Yet

The lessons from this book can help us foster a culture of resilience, innovation, and continuous improvement. Critical topics for a software company! I highly recommend adding this book to your reading list and applying its principles to your work and life.