Creative thinkers rule the world!
They are continually seeking faster, better, and easier ways to accomplish their goals.
Creative thinkers are responsible for many of the great
breakthroughs, innovations, and progressions in human history. They know
that sometimes one good idea is all it takes to change the course of a
business or an individual life.
The Biggest Enemy of Creative Thinking
Mechanical thinking is the enemy of creative thinking.
It tends to be rigid and inflexible.
It’s,
“My way or the highway.”
Mechanical thinking is rooted in fears of failure or making a mistake
and losing time, money, or both. It is triggered by fears of criticism
or disapproval.
Poor thinkers:
- Think in terms of black and white rather than shades of gray.
- Think in extremes of yes vs. no and up vs. down.
- Think that there is only one way to solve a problem when there are usually many.
- Are victims of “homeostasis.”
- Are stuck in their comfort zones.
- Resent and fear anything new or different, even an improvement in conditions.
But this is not you…
You Are a Potential Genius
You have more creative potential than you could use in a hundred
lifetimes. You actually become more creative each time you come up with
something new.
It turns out that creativity is the single best indicator or
predictor of success in life and in work. The more creative you are, the
better your ideas will be to improve your life, work, and everything
around you.
One good idea can be enough to change the entire direction of your life.
How To Recognize Creativity
Creative people are curious. They ask a lot of questions and are
never satisfied. In fact, you can become more creative just by asking
more questions about the things going on around you rather than being
content with superficial answers.
Genius Throughout the Ages
There are many studies of the qualities of geniuses throughout the
ages. The first fact they discovered was that intelligence was not a
matter of IQ or academic qualifications. Many so-called geniuses had
average or slightly above-average intelligence. Instead, genius or
excellent thinking was more a matter of attitude and approach toward the
inevitable challenges of life.
It appears that geniuses have three qualities that are developed over time:
1) A Genius Keeps an Open Mind
First, they approach every problem or situation with an open mind,
almost a childlike attitude of exploration and discovery. The more open
your mind is to new and different approaches to situations in your life,
the more likely it is that you are going to get insights and ideas that
move you out of your comfort zone.
Ideas that enable you to think outside the box.
Geniuses continually ask
“Why?” and “Why not?” and
“What if?”
2) Geniuses Consider Every Aspect of a Problem
Second, geniuses carefully consider every aspect of a problem, refuse
to jump to conclusions, and gather more and more data instead. They
test and validate their tentative conclusions at each stage. They avoid a
rush to judgment. They are always open to the possibility that they
could be wrong, or that their idea is no good.
The Best Solution
Albert Einstein was once asked,
“If there was a major emergency
or potential disaster that was going to destroy the earth in 60 minutes,
and you were asked to find a solution, what would you do?”
Einstein replied,
“I would spend the first 59 minutes gathering information, and the last minute solving the problem in the best possible way.”
In business today, especially in new product development, the more
time you spend working closely with customers to be sure that your new
product or service idea is exactly what they want, need, and are willing
to pay for, the more likely it is that you will be successful in a
fast-changing and highly competitive market.
3) A Genius Takes a Systematic Approach
Third, geniuses of all kinds use a systematic approach to problem solving and decision making.
Accomplished mathematicians, physicists, doctors, mechanics, and
people in other professions do not throw themselves at a problem like a
dog chasing a passing car. They rather follow a carefully designed
checklist and work their way through a problem, step by step toward a
conclusion.
Atul Gawande, in his book
The Checklist Manifesto, tells the story of two investment experts, both successful, but one far more successful than the other.
It turned out that they both had many years of experience in
evaluating and making substantial investments for themselves and their
clients. But, the more successful adviser had developed a checklist of
essential questions to ask and tests to apply to an investment proposal
before making a decision.
The other adviser used many of the same techniques and tactics to
appraise an investment, but he operated more from intuition and
experience. As a result, he often lost money when he shouldn’t have.
Here was the interesting point that Gawande made. The first adviser
was consistently more successful than the second. But, on various
occasions, he made mistakes and lost money.
The reason was invariably the same. He had neglected to follow his
own checklist. He had missed one or two vital points in his list of
important considerations. When he went back to following his checklist
meticulously, his investment record improved significantly.
The Systematic Problem-Solving Method
I have discovered and synthesized a single, problem-solving method that you can use for the rest of your life.
Step 1: Define the Problem or Goal Clearly
Define the problem or goal clearly, in writing, on a page in front of
you. If you are working with a group, write and rewrite the problem or
goal on a flip chart or a whiteboard until everyone agrees,
“Yes. This is the correct definition of the problem.”
In business, developing the correct definition of the problem often makes the solution appear obvious.
Step 2: “What Else is the Problem?”
Once you have defined the problem or goal clearly, you ask,
“What else is the problem?”
Beware of any problem for which there is only one definition. Define
and redefine the problem several different ways to make it more amenable
to the correct solution.
The worst thing you can do is to come up with a great solution to the wrong problem or to a problem that does not exist.
The Process of Innovation
The philosophy of every successful business and successful executive
is CANEI, which stands for “Continuous and Never-Ending Improvement.”
Resolve to move boldly out of your comfort zone. Continually search
for newer, better, faster, and cheaper ways to achieve your goals and to
move ahead.
Be prepared to fail over and over again when you are developing or
introducing new products, services, methods, or strategies. Nothing ever
works out the way you think it will. You will experience constant
frustrations, difficulties, setbacks, and temporary failures on the way
to success.
Thomas J. Watson Sr., the founder of IBM, was once asked how to succeed faster. He replied,
“If you want to succeed faster, you must double your rate of failure. Success lies on the far side of failure.”
In fact, there is no such thing as failure. There is only feedback.
Difficulties come not to obstruct, but to instruct. The formula has
always been to try, try again, and then try something else.
I have a new book coming soon called
Get Smart! How to Think and Act Like the Highest-Paid People in Every Field. Learn how you can preorder it by clicking the button below.
