By definition, it's easy to think of obvious ideas.
Obvious ideas are the ones that are adjacent to what we're already thinking. They might be new, but they're within reach.
Non-obvious ideas are harder to reach.
Many of the most important problems in our work and lives fall in the category of "non-obvious" problems. If the solutions were easy, we wouldn't have a problem.
Here's what I believe:
Innovation means thinking differently
It's about coming up with non-obvious solutions to problems.
But here's where the real question comes in.
How can we think differently than we currently think?
Or perhaps better put:
How can we bridge the gap between the obvious and the genius?
That's what my years-long quest to understand lateral thinking is about.
And it's the topic that I dig into here in Episode 1 of my Smartcuts Mini-Series with Innovation & Leadership podcast host Jess Larsen:
Find the rest of the Thinking Different / Smartcuts series here »
Shane Snow
