Innovate, Experiment - Think Out-of-the-Box
Posted: Tuesday, May 25, 2010
by Abhy Medkul
Boxed inthat is what the functioning of the mind has become these days. One may easily fall into the rut of running on the beaten path. The result is too predictable and the gains only mediocre. The temptation is too strong. And the fears run too high to allow experimentation. There is a frantic chase going on in the world, especially in the world of young people where they are shown a path or paths and the maximum they extend themselves is towards making a choice from all that is put before them.
The first step towards achieving the goal for being an exceptional thinker, innovator and visionary is to consider one's mind a miraculous tool that comes with the promise of infinite possibility making true even the wildest dreams. Could man have ever dreamt of flyingyes he had. But nothing actually came out of it, until the Wright brothers came along and proved that what the mind can conceive is achievable!
There are a large number of people who are essentially dreamers, but their visualisation is not really constructive as they do not believe in the power of their ideas. A person has to first appreciate the value of ideas and respect the fact that there may be more than one solution to problem. Out-of-the box thinkers know that new ideas need nurturing and support. They also know that having an idea is good but acting on it is more important. Results are what count
One has to be a status quo annihilator in order to arrive at a solution that will really break new ground. Just imagine Charles H. Duell, who was the director of the US Patent Office in the 1899 had stated, "Everything that can be invented has been invented." And this could well have been the understatement of all times until now.
The progress and evolution of human civilization is contingent on generating new ideas and finding out better ways of doing things. There has been a constant attempt to do things differently, to make it atypical and exciting. Exciting happens when there is an openness to do different things and to do things differently keeping well within the given parameters. There will be people brimming with ideas, the key lies in listening to them, welcoming suggestions, amalgamating them into an ingenious blend. One has to find ways and means of keeping the creative spark alive, to keep the window of fresh propositions open to value new ideas and act on them.
Also there may be times when a promising idea strikes but also appears as being somewhat outlandish or unviable. One must not strike it down until there is a surety that it cannot be twisted into a winner. It is important to remember that of all things ideas are the most malleable as they are success in its most nascent stage. Another prerequisite of growth is having a healthy respect for the opinion of the people around oneself. They may not be at a higher level but one never knows who carries a fertile imagination or a cache of experiences with him/ her that may hold the key.
Edward de Bono has conceptualised and put forward the process of lateral or nonlinear thinking that can help conjure creative solutions to emerge a winner in an increasingly complex world. Lateral thinking is a step-by-step method of creative thinking with prescribed techniques that can be used consciously. According to de Bono, intelligence is a potential and thinking is a skill to use that potential. Thinking is no substitute for information but information may be a substitute for thinking. While information is overwhelming us, the need is for suitable thinking techniques to avoid being weighed down by excessive information. Just as the skill of the driver determines how an automobile is driven, thinking determines how intelligence is used.
Thinking out of the box is especially concerned with changing preconceived notions to bring out new ideas and can be acquired and practiced as a skill. It is a technique that can be mastered like any other subject of academic nature. It is not of much import whether a person has been able to sell an idea or has failed to convince the world about the enormity of it. What does matter is a firm belief in the potential of the idea. If that exists, there is not much distance between the dream and the reality.
Most of the modern day equipment and technologies were the dreams and fancies of some great innovators of yesterday. And the greatness was not ascribed to them at that point but only after it became an instant hit. It should be remembered in times of disappointment and doubt that it took Carl Carlson 17-year efforts to make his copier (Xerox) a reality and Thomas Edison 10,000 experiments to invent the light bulb. The powerful lesson from many great out of the box thinkers and entrepreneurs in is to never give in to circumstances but to make the best of them and emerge at the top.
In today's world the forces that need to be reckoned with are the information and knowledge reservoirs. In the new economy, new ideas are the greatest asset that can generate immense new value and wealth. It comes as no surprise that there is a premium on innovators an people who can really think out of the box. There are buyers and sellers, demand and supply for new ideas. Value is no longer derived by creating things, but by generating and trading new ideas. The bestselling author and entrepreneur Seth Godin has correctly touched the pulse of the times when he states that "this century is about ideaswe recognize that ideas are driving the economy, ideas are making people rich, and most important, ideas are changing the world."
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I love your phrase "status quo annihilator", Abhy! This is a wonderful article, fabulous to read. I was just thinking today about the pros and cons of being a trail blazer. The former totally outweigh the latter for me but they don't for everybody.Thanks for your article.Hello Jennifer. True, everyone comes with a uniquie set of limitations. The life of an innovator, a trail blazer looks enchanted from the outside but there is no gainsaying the amount of effort and challenges one has to undertake in breaking new ground or doing anything significant for that matter.Look forward to more interactions with you. Have a good day.Abhy
Welcome welcome welcome! This is a really cool article -- thanks for sharing.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Mark. Glad you like it.
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