Black Box Thinking: Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance

What links the Mercedes Formula One team with Google?

What is the connection between Dave Brailsford's Team Sky and the aviation industry?

What links the inventor James Dyson and the basketball player Michael Jordan?

They are all Black Box Thinkers.

Whether developing a new product, honing a core skill or just trying to get a critical decision right, Black Box Thinkers aren't afraid to face up to mistakes. In fact, Black Box Thinkers see failure as the very best way to learn. Rather than denying their mistakes, blaming others, or attempting to spin their way out of trouble, these institutions and individuals interrogate errors as part of their future strategy for success.

How many of us can say that we have such a healthy relationship with failure?

Learning from failure has the status of a cliché, but this book reveals the astonishing story behind the most powerful method of learning known to mankind, and reveals the arsenal of techniques wielded by some of the world's most innovative organizations. It also reveals the dangers of failing to learn from mistakes. In healthcare, hundreds of thousands of patients die from preventable medical errors every year due to a chronic lack of Black Box Thinking

Using gripping case studies, exclusive interviews and really practical takeaways, Matthew Syed - the award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Bounce - explains how to turn failure into success, and shows us how we can all become better Black Box Thinkers.

Matthew Syed is one of the UK's most influential thinkers on mindset, performance, and culture. A former Olympic table tennis player turned award-winning journalist and bestselling author, his seven books - including Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, and the groundbreaking You Are Awesome series for children - have sold over two million copies worldwide, been translated into more than 30 languages, and earned widespread acclaim for their accessible insight and compelling storytelling.


A sought-after speaker and founder of Matthew Syed Consulting, he advises leading organisations - from global businesses to national sports teams - on building high-performance cultures. He also presents BBC Radio 4's Sideways, which has been downloaded over 15 million times, and writes for The Times and The Sunday Times. He has featured on top podcasts including The Diary of a CEO and High Performance. With a unique blend of sporting excellence, psychological insight, and sharp journalistic storytelling, Syed continues to challenge conventional thinking and inspire change across sectors.

Matthew Syed is one of the UK's most influential thinkers on mindset, performance, and culture. A former Olympic table tennis player turned award-winning journalist and bestselling author, his seven books - including Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, and the groundbreaking You Are Awesome series for children - have sold over two million copies worldwide, been translated into more than 30 languages, and earned widespread acclaim for their accessible insight and compelling storytelling.

A sought-after speaker and founder of Matthew Syed Consulting, he advises leading organisations - from global businesses to national sports teams - on building high-performance cultures. He also presents BBC Radio 4's Sideways, which has been downloaded over 15 million times, and writes for The Times and The Sunday Times. He has featured on top podcasts including The Diary of a CEO and High Performance. With a unique blend of sporting excellence, psychological insight, and sharp journalistic storytelling, Syed continues to challenge conventional thinking and inspire change across sectors.