Black Box Thinking
Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance
Published on 25. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-3998-3037-9 (ISBN)
Description
10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER
'Will transform your entire perspective' THE TIMES
'A stirring call to revolutionise how we think about success' DANIEL PINK, author of DRIVE
'Brilliant' JAMES DYSON
What is the secret to success? Black Box Thinking.
Ten years on from its original publication, Black Box Thinking remains a game-changing manifesto for success.
In this special anniversary edition - featuring brand new material from Matthew Syed - his bold thesis that failure, far from being something to fear, is the secret to innovation and improvement feels more urgent than ever.
Packed with gripping case studies, eye-opening research, and stories from elite sport, cutting-edge medicine, aviation, business, and beyond, Syed shows how the most progressive individuals and organizations treat mistakes not as threats, but as tools for growth.
This is a book for anyone striving to do better. It will change how you think about failure - and show you how to turn it into success.
'Highly persuasive' DAILY MAIL
'It highlights the need for a growth mindset in life' RICHARD BRANSON
'A book that dares us to do better' HOWARD JACOBSON
'Will transform your entire perspective' THE TIMES
'A stirring call to revolutionise how we think about success' DANIEL PINK, author of DRIVE
'Brilliant' JAMES DYSON
What is the secret to success? Black Box Thinking.
Ten years on from its original publication, Black Box Thinking remains a game-changing manifesto for success.
In this special anniversary edition - featuring brand new material from Matthew Syed - his bold thesis that failure, far from being something to fear, is the secret to innovation and improvement feels more urgent than ever.
Packed with gripping case studies, eye-opening research, and stories from elite sport, cutting-edge medicine, aviation, business, and beyond, Syed shows how the most progressive individuals and organizations treat mistakes not as threats, but as tools for growth.
This is a book for anyone striving to do better. It will change how you think about failure - and show you how to turn it into success.
'Highly persuasive' DAILY MAIL
'It highlights the need for a growth mindset in life' RICHARD BRANSON
'A book that dares us to do better' HOWARD JACOBSON
Reviews / Votes
An extraordinary, inspirational book which reveals how great performers and teams are driven by an insatiable curiosity for marginal gains, together with the intellectual courage to challenge their most cherished assumptions * DAVE BRAILSFORD, GENERAL MANAGER, TEAM SKY * Creative breakthroughs always begin with multiple failures. This brilliant book shows how true invention lies in the understanding and overcoming of these failures, which we must learn to embrace * JAMES DYSON, DESIGNER, INVENTOR & ENTREPRENEUR * Matthew Syed has issued a stirring call to revolutionise how we think about success -- by changing our attitude to failure. Failure shouldn't be shameful and stigmatising, but exciting and enlightening. Full of well-crafted stories and keenly deployed scientific insights, BLACK BOX THINKING will forever change the way you think about screwing up * DANIEL PINK, AUTHOR OF DRIVE & TO SELL IS HUMAN * Retrieval was Matthew Syed's forte when he was England's number one table tennis player. You couldn't get anything past him. And retrieval is the subject of this extraordinarily wide-ranging book. Retrieval of hope, retrieval of experience - not just a true sportsman's determination to retrieve success from the lessons of failure, but a true humanitarian's too. A book that dares us to do better * HOWARD JACOBSON, WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Murray Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 192 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
258 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3998-3037-9 (9781399830379)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Matthew Syed | Matthew Syed Consulting Ltd
Black Box Thinking
Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance
E-Book
09/2025
John Murray
€4.49
Available for download
Matthew Syed | Matthew Syed Consulting Ltd
Black Box Thinking
Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance
E-Book
09/2015
John Murray Learning
€6.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Matthew Syed | Matthew Syed Consulting Ltd
Black Box Thinking
Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High Performance
Book
04/2016
John Murray Publishers Ltd
€33.61
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Persons
Matthew Syed (Author)
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 Consulting Ltd (Author)
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.
Matthew Syed Consulting Ltd (Author)
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.