Thinking Differently?

24/10/2022

I've been reflecting on some recent conversations with fellow professionals...
One thing that struck me is that I think differently i.e. what I notice and/or focus on in situations diverges from what they've tended to see.

My first thought/suggestion is often about possibilities i.e. thought patterns like "How interesting! What about this? And this? Or that?..."
A form of problem-solving, I suppose, honed through deep experience in product roles, with various stakeholders with different objectives.

But, three different people (separately, but in close succession) have asked questions or surfaced different aspects upfront, with some combination of:

What will we do? What are the steps we will take?
How will we do/measure it?
What outcomes will we get?

Yes, those elements are important to me too - and key to our technical professional training - but I think about them only later, after exploring possibilities (and ideas), including fanciful and impractical ones.

Some of the questions I've been asking myself:
> Is it perhaps a desire for certainty & efficiency that drives us to analyse?
> Do we tend to judge too quickly that this will never work?
> Are we (on average) uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this!
Where do YOU start / what do you notice first?

7 Comments

Logen

31/10/2022 13:59:54

Yes, I like dwelling on the problem for a while & refrain from jumping into action. Sort of a planned procrastination so my sub-conscious mind can give me more insights.

[This is a repost of a comment on the LinkedIn shares of this article]

Bradley

31/10/2022 14:16:34

"Planned procrastination" - fantastic! Thank you Logen.

Pedro

31/10/2022 14:01:07

Like you, it is the possibilities that excite me first and I spend a lot of time thinking about them. Then I consider the outcomes and if these are worthwhile, I look at the what and how. But my approach is also very different depending on whether it is a personal or work topic. I have learned to be more conservative at work and discard many ideas that I think only I will find attractive.

[This is a repost of a comment on the LinkedIn shares of this article]

31/10/2022 14:17:30

Thank you Pedro, including for your point about how we need to moderate our natural approaches to contextualise proposals for our colleagues so that they suit them too. Perhaps there are learnings from 'Diffusion of Innovation' theory here?

Yusheel

31/10/2022 14:01:46

Recently, I tend to try and think about what is a pragmatic solution to the problem...

[This is a repost of a comment on the LinkedIn shares of this article]

Anonymous

31/10/2022 14:09:09

I tend to see possibilities / opportunities, even if seemingly challenging. I suppose it's embracing creative thinking, blank sheet of paper, "change and growth mindset".

The WHAT (vision, dream) and in particular WHY (purpose) are core for me. The HOW (action plan / strategy) can often provide a reality check, grounding, as part of exploring.

Fear of uncertainty and change often shuts down creative spirit. Not being fully aware / "present" leaves us "living in the past" => so not freely imagining the future as it could be. I try to release fear and past limiting beliefs (work in progress!), to move forward, mindful of lessons, one step at a time.

31/10/2022 14:27:21

Thank you for sharing your perspectives - at Protagion, we're big fans of growth too! I particularly like your points on vision/dream, and why/purpose, and the sense of balance and horizons/timescales you convey in your comments i.e. past-present-future.

If you'd like to read more about limiting beliefs, please see:
> my article on "Success, Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome" at https://www.protagion.com/stories/self-doubt and
> Soshan's article "How can leaders ignite the best thinking in others?" on using questions to inspire, including 'incisive questions' that help remove our limiting assumptions, at https://www.protagion.com/stories/time-to-think

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Thinking Differently?

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