In today’s world, conformity, compliance, and obedience are the enemies of a healthy creative mindset. These social structures that hem us in, contain our enthusiasm, and restrict our intellectual musings are usually established from the day we are born. Consequently, it’s no wonder that new leaders have a difficult time embracing innovation, creativity, and experimentation. As children, we could dream big colorful thoughts, and to succeed in business, imagining and exploring possibilities is essential. So, how can we reinvigorate the lost child in all of us and think like a child again?
Divergent thought is a way of thinking that challenges what’s considered normal or acceptable. It’s an essential aspect of effective leadership that pushes leaders to identify new and innovative methods, paths, or objectives. To become a divergent thinker, leaders need to learn how to sidestep their robotic application of the “rules” and see the opportunities that exist outside the establishment.
Every industry, market, and economy has its operational rules established through edicts (laws), the physics of business operations (capitalism and its methodology), traditions (our firm always does this), and common agreement among participants (ethics, morality, and communications norms). Nonetheless, new or aspiring business leaders can impact significantly by learning how to think differently. It doesn’t have to be adversarial, conflict-driven, or rough. Bending, breaking, or making your own rules should be done professionally and with an eye to creating an effective communication strategy to influence outcomes.
To become a divergent thinker, it takes more than technical expertise, willingness to express opinions or insights on a subject matter. Divergent thinking requires the suspension of individual or collective (team) conformity long enough to see what possibilities lie outside the established boundaries of business engagement. Here are five tips to help you reap the rewards of divergent thinking as a rising star:
First: understand the order of things. You should learn the primary logic behind your organization’s standard operating principles before you open your mind to color outside the established lines. This approach keeps you grounded and prepares you to win your influence campaign.
Second: establish a divergent mindset through humility, curiosity, and creativity. Intellectual humility is a state of mind that allows you to see new information and insights in a clear light. You will need to set aside any fears and anxieties, as well as your ego and confidence from past successes to achieve intellectual humility. Intellectual curiosity is having rapt attention to odd sources of inputs, and it is almost impossible to achieve unless you have intellectual humility. Once you have gathered your data, which may include both strange and not-so-strange insights, it’s time to influence or to build your thought pattern toward a desired goal. The value of intellectual creativity is amplified by adherence to the first two stages of thought exploration.
Third: practice, practice, practice. Turning a new way of thinking into a habit requires repetition. Make it an intellectual exercise where every day you pick an area of your life or your business that you think needs improvement. Follow the stages of establishing a divergent mindset and practice until you become proficient and comfortable.
Fourth: pick your battles. Divergent thought is a catalyst that drives innovative and inventive outcomes. If your divergent solution is going to impact organizational normalcy in a big way, you’ll need to make allies. Convince, influence, communicate, and sell your vision. Make sure your communication and presentation skills are professional, and look for any weaknesses in your argument.
Fifth: never, ever quit. Applied divergent thinking is arduous. If presented professionally and constructively, the blowback will be minimized but not eliminated. Tension and friction are a part of business, and every great new idea will attract naysayers and intellectual adversaries. You need to be prepared to take the hits, roll with the punches, and stay on your feet to finish the fight.
Encouraging divergent thinking is crucial for young minds and leaders who often lack the skills and experience to take their passion and convert it into a constructive format that contributes to change management success. Adopting divergent thinking as a habitual mindset, combined with superior presentation, and communication skills prepares any young mind to positively influence their organization. Creatively guiding your organization to a brighter future is not only rewarding—it also sets you up for incredible success in the years ahead.
In conclusion, to succeed in business, leaders must embrace innovation, creativity, and experimentation. Relearning how to think like a child and adopting divergent thinking helps leaders to identify new and innovative methods, paths, or objectives. Through understanding the order of things, establishing a divergent mindset, practice, picking your battles, and never quitting, leaders can embrace and encourage divergent thinking in themselves and others. By doing so, they prepare themselves and their organizations for the future with the essential skills to succeed.