Mind-Stretchers

We sometimes miss insights when we get stuck on flawed beliefs. In a previous entry, Three Keys to Unlocking Great Insights, I suggested that we might be able to get past our fixation by trying on a new perspective, and I offered a few candidates. Now I’d like to expand that idea. I’ve identified five scenarios that could help shift your framework in order to make discoveries.

(1) The Failure scenario. Here we use the PreMortem method that I’ve discussed earlier. In a PreMortem, a person or a team imagines looking into a crystal ball that shows that the plan, so carefully crafted, has gone down in flames. It is a disaster. But the crystal ball doesn’t show why the plan failed. That’s the exercise: to write down all the likely reason for the failure. Of the decision-making tactics I’ve taught over the years, this PreMortem method is far and away the most popular. It is easy to understand and perform, and the PreMortem almost always leads to discoveries as well as recoveries.

(2) The Weak Signals scenario. In this variation of the PreMortem you look into the crystal ball and see that your new project resulted in a fiasco and — to make matters worse — the signs are there but you’re ignoring them! What warning signs are you dismissing? The PreMortem helps you identify reasons for a potential failure, whereas the Weak Signals version lets you spot the signs and cues you should be monitoring more carefully.

(3) The Turn-the-Tables scenario. This scenario is intended for competitive situations, either in business or in inter-personal conflicts. You imagine that you are now your most avid competitor. Your new Competitor self is out to beat your Original self. What would you do to take advantage of your Original Self? What weaknesses would you exploit? What opportunities would you seize? Military and commercial organizations sometimes use Red teams in this way, but that takes time and effort. The intent of this scenario is to be our own Red Team.

(4) The Successor scenario. Lots of times we kind of know what needs to be done but we can’t muster the willpower to do it. We don’t have the energy for all the internal battles in our organization. We feel trapped by our earlier commitments. We don’t want to be seen as inconsistent with previous statements or actions. We secretly hope that our successor will take on the changes. But why wait? In this exercise we imagine that we are the successor. What radical shifts should we introduce? What tired assumptions should we toss out? And then — why wait for a successor? Andy Grove at Intel referred to this strategy as the revolving door test and explained that in his case the right move, though painful, was to get out of the memory chip business and re-invigorate his company.

(5) The Switch scenario. You are having an argument or debate with someone, but can you describe the strongest parts of that person’s position? Even better, can imagine switching places with your adversary and making that person’s argument even more persuasive? (Note: You don’t have to tell the person how to beef up his/her position.) I used to invoke this scenario with my daughters when they were growing up. During dinner, if I were losing a debate I would unexpectedly say “Switch.” They got very good at it — better than me, I have to admit. One of my daughters later told me she often preferred the new, switched position to the one she’d started with.

Other types of scenarios may emerge over time, but these five seem like a good starting point for building cognitive flexibility.

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