The roadmap to your subsequent breakthrough might be lurking in your dangerous concepts. These concepts usually really feel like failures, however they’re truly the place to begin for inversion considering: a sensible technique for approaching issues backwards.
Atomic Habits creator James Clear calls inversion “the essential considering ability no one ever taught you.” It’s free, confirmed and accessible to everybody. But regardless of its energy, it stays an untapped useful resource for a lot of professionals. With this one straightforward method, you’ll be able to pivot dead-end concepts into actionable ones in simply three steps.
The facility of inversion
When regular considering fails, inverted considering is a welcome type of psychological intervention as a result of it uncovers insights you have already got, removes inside censorship and breaks ordinary considering patterns.
Uncovering insights
Whereas good concepts can really feel elusive, the mind has an limitless provide of dangerous concepts. That is tied to our hard-wired disposition towards negativity, often called negativity bias.
You’ve probably already considered many dangerous concepts for any given mission subconsciously, however not captured them or explored their potential to pivot into actionable insights.
Eradicating inside censorship
Self-imposed psychological filtering dilutes inventive considering. Dangerous concepts shouldn’t be prevented within the inventive course of: they’re necessary stepping stones. They may even be liable for a few of your favourite songs.
“The a whole bunch or hundreds of dumb concepts that I’ve had are what led me to my good concepts,” shared Taylor Swift whereas accepting the Innovator Award on the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards. “It’s a must to give your self permission to fail.”
Breaking ordinary considering patterns
The human thoughts is programmed for routine and automation. We profit tremendously from this, however psychological autopilot is a double-edged sword. Office coach Bob Sager, founding father of SpearPoint Options, LLC, equates regular considering with driving on a psychological race observe.
“You suppose you’re considering arduous about it, and you might be, however you find yourself proper again in the very same place as a result of your unconscious course of guidelines your ideas and exercise,” Sager shared. His method, “the ABCs of dangerous concepts,” helps you exit the racetrack and go off-road to locations you by no means anticipated.
The ABCs of dangerous concepts
The ABCs of dangerous concepts is an inversion train that Sager invented, although he doesn’t use the time period “inversion considering” himself. As a substitute, he champions its simplicity: “There’s usually class in simplicity…. The easier an concept or technique is, the extra probably it’s to really be carried out.” Do this easy strategy your self the following time you’re caught in a inventive rut.
Step 1: Make your A-to-Z concepts record
Articulate the issue that you simply’re tackling. Then, give you a intentionally dangerous concept for fixing the issue for every letter of the alphabet, from A to Z.
For instance, say that you simply’re organizing a free firm occasion and need professionals in your trade to RSVP. Some dangerous concepts for incentivizing attendance might be:
- A: Abandoning invites and choosing word-of-mouth consciousness as an alternative.
- B: Being mysterious or obscure about what the occasion truly is.
- C: Charging a payment, although the occasion is free.
The result’s 26 dangerous concepts, a few of which Sager says gained’t be dangerous in any respect—simply completely different. “Completely different is healthier than higher,” Sager shared, quoting Sally Hogshead. Don’t censor your self as you write this record. Push previous the ordinary guardrails that preserve you on the identical psychological race observe.
After your record is completed, ask one particular query to search out which dangerous concepts could be pivoted into good ones.
Step 2: Ask the magic query
Take a look at every dangerous concept individually and ask: In what methods would possibly I tweak this to make it a good suggestion? Sager mentioned that this particular query “directs your mind” to search out alternatives.
Wanting critically on the company occasion instance, alternatives to tweak the dangerous concepts shortly emerge. Abandoning invites is dangerous, however producing word-of-mouth consciousness is a powerful concept that deserves additional exploration. As for charging a payment, this contradicts the truth that the occasion is free. However you possibly can cost a small payment for visitors to RSVP, after which convert that quantity right into a free drink credit score on the occasion.
Generally, particular concepts in your record leap out instantly as pivot factors. Different instances, you want to transfer on to step three to search out your breakthrough.
Step 3: Revisit days later
After ending your record, schedule time in your calendar to revisit your dangerous concepts in three days. Sager mentioned this incubation interval will give some concepts new “luster,” because of the background processing of your unconscious thoughts.
Scheduling this time on the calendar is vital, or your odds of revisiting plummet.
Dangerous concepts thriving within the wild
Sager has taught the ABCs of dangerous concepts to groups, executives and entrepreneurs for years. He additionally just lately did this train himself and got here up with an concept that sounded actually dangerous at first look: a 24-hour video livestream.
At face worth, it wasn’t a good suggestion—however it certainly was completely different. Sager realized it was unusual sufficient to draw the eye of dozens of visitors, potential sponsors and hopefully many curious attendees.
Nobody will watch your complete livestream, however Sager expects attendees to leap out and in, all asking the identical query: What does Bob appear like after six, 12 and 23 hours of livestreaming?
One other ABCs of dangerous concepts success story comes from a enterprise proprietor who provides snacks for company breakrooms. The dangerous concept? Don’t throw away your trash—construct one thing out of it within the breakroom. It turned out that this concept didn’t want any pivoting in any respect: it was carried out, and it was completely different sufficient to interact and entertain folks after they ate the final granola bar within the field.
Invert every thing
As enterprise icon Charlie Munger as soon as mentioned, “Many issues can’t be solved ahead.”
Undertaking managers carry out premortems to anticipate the place a mission can fail, as an alternative of focusing completely on the way it can succeed. Musicians follow musical licks backward to be taught a troublesome collection of notes. Language academics have college students pronounce phrases or sentences in reverse order.
Inversion is all over the place. I hope that inversion considering has helped you see worth in your dangerous concepts. At a time when so many individuals are turning to ChatGPT for a similar instantaneous solutions, your dangerous concepts have by no means had extra inventive energy.
Photograph by Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock
