Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Practical Alice
Keep a hold on reality, even while you’re hurtling down a rabbit hole.
2. ‘Curiouser and curiouser’
Be curious, just like Alice, because curiosity changes the world.
3. Instinctive advice
Ignoring your own good advice can get you into all sorts of trouble, even if you’re unlikely to change size or talk to nursery-rhyme characters.
4. ‘Say what you mean’
Treat words with respect, and reap the benefits. Ignore their impact, and you might risk everything.
5. Meaning what, exactly?
‘The Hatter’s remark seemed to have no meaning, and yet it was clearly English’ – jargon is everywhere. Fight against it!
6. ‘You just keep moving around, I suppose?’
Cope with the madness in many meetings, even if they don’t all involve dormice, hares and hatters.
7. ‘Impossible things’
Cultivate your imagination – you might just change the world. Here’s how.
8. ‘A cat may look at a king’
The Cheshire Cat would fit right in at a self-managing company. Would you?
9. Never say never
Innovation, creativity, imagination: they disappear in the face of ‘always’ and ‘never’. Absolutes don’t stop Alice, and they shouldn’t stop anybody else.
10. ‘That’s not a regular rule’
Beat the imaginary rules, the ‘irregular rules’ – and win.
11. Escaping from ‘illogical logic’
How to brainstorm your way out of the traps of rubbish rules and illogical logic.
12. ‘Sentence first, verdict afterwards’
Blaming, shaming, bullying – and bravery. Stand up to the Queen of Hearts, wherever she may be.
13. Running with the Red Queen
‘It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.’ It’s often true, and it’s often dangerous.
14. Running twice as fast?
‘And if you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!’ But does it work in the real world?
15. ‘To always have lessons to learn’
‘… I shouldn’t like that!’ Not even if it includes ‘Reeling and Writhing’? Give it a go – without learning, disaster looms.
16. ‘Alice could not help laughing’
Jokes can make a business, a brand or an organization memorable, but how do you get it right?
17. ‘Off with his head!’
What the terrible Queen of Hearts gets wrong – and it isn’t just her.
18. ‘Plenty of practice!’
Practice does indeed make perfect. But you can practise doing things wrong as well. Look at the White Knight.
19. A cat among the pigeons
It’s all about cultural respect, and learning when things go wrong. It works, and it works for Alice too.
20. ‘If you believe in me, I’ll believe in you’
The Unicorn’s bargain of mutual respect, and the benefits it brings in the real world.
21. Where shall I go?
It all depends on where you want to get to, especially if you’re an Alice – OK, a woman. Here are some ideas for helping yourself.
22. ‘I think that will be the best plan’
Obvious plans aren’t always the best ones. Sometimes it pays to take a sideways step.
23. Test and test – and get it right?
To test or not to test? That is the question.
24. Don’t panic
How do you negotiate a wood when you can’t remember your own name. Clue: ‘considering things’ is a start.
25. ‘It’s more like a corkscrew than a path!’
Sometimes you have to go in what looks like the wrong direction to get where you want.
26. Managing your flamingo
Sometimes you just have to be flexible and run with the unexpected. But is it really unexpected?
27. Just stop?
The dangers of drifting along – and that’s even when you’re not in a rowing boat with a sheep.
28. ‘Something interesting is sure to happen’
Change might be daunting, but it can be fascinating too. And being practical can help you deal with it.
29. Being real
Know yourself, know your identity, and make the most of it in your business.
30. ‘And yet …’
Back to the benefits of curiosity, creativity and change: ‘I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit hole … and yet…’. Note the ‘almost’!
Conclusion
Sources

About the Author

Kate M. Santon is a writer and editor, specializing in practical non-fiction. She is a keen blogger and has written books on a range of subjects. She was head of the retail arm of a major UK institution, with an annual turnover of £6 million, before changing direction, working with a specialist business publisher, and writing and editing books herself. She has also ghostwritten books and has worked with several CEOs to help them tell their inspirational stories of struggle and success.