Developing More Insightful Thinking:

 

We often find that decision-makers take the easy way by resorting to ‘group think’ to address business challenges. But talking to the same people about the same issues usually brings you to the same conclusions as you have reached before, and you don’t move forward. 

 

So, if you really want to come up with better, game-changing solutions, you need to adopt a different approach that challenges the most deeply held beliefs of your business.  This will help you to stay a step ahead of your competition and the next market challenge.

 

Here are three ways to think differently about your business and develop game-changing solutions to common problems:

 

1. Remember that your challenges or problems aren't unique.

 

• Similar challenges may have already been solved by other businesses, so regularly gather and analyse case studies from other industries (and relevant competitors in your industry) to see if they might apply in your situation.

 

2. Solutions to your business challenges will more likely come from outside than within your business.

 

• To overcome ‘group think’ sometimes requires an adventure into the unknown. One way of doing this is to imagine how you would describe your problem to a complete stranger, then give it a go. The deep insights you will often gain listening to someone else think about your problems will probably surprise you.

 

3. Trying a ‘thought experiment’ with your team will likely give you a new perspective on issues and challenges you are dealing with.

 

• This ‘hypothesis-driven’ problem solving approach, in which you begin with a principle or assertion about the business and then attempt to defend or disprove that hypothesis through facts, will often lead to the most insightful observations and innovative solutions.

 

Managing a business needs to be a process-driven discipline if you are to achieve the outcomes you are looking for ... or perhaps even better outcomes than the ones you had set because you are no longer obsessed with achieving (only) them.

 

Finding ways to think and look beyond your industry, explore diverse perspectives, and challenge your team's approach will often lead you directly to new insights, keeping you and your business one step (or more) ahead of the competition.

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