Creative Thinking Techniques
There is a saying that is used quite often when describing people who have a creative flair. They are described as thinking “outside the box.” But what does that mean? What is the box? In my mind the box is your comfort zone.
Being an entrepreneur who is in the business of product development or selling a service, you may become complacent and not try new things. When you think outside of your box it means that you take risks and try things outside of your comfort zone, in areas where you might not have experience.
I have found you don’t need to be an authority in the fields of science and technology (or anything else, for that matter) to develop a product that will sell in those fields. It’s absolutely possible to develop a product successfully outside of one’s own personal skill area or knowledge.
If you perceive a need for improvement or invention in a field you don’t understand, hire someone who does understand that field to assist you. Specialists can do the research required and bring the expertise you need to the development of a product. You don’t have to do all the thinking yourself.
I have been asked to create products in many fields in which I had no expertise. For instance, I was asked to create a hair- straightening product for African-American women’s hair that was lye- free. Being a Caucasian male, I knew nothing about either the chemical makeup of hair care products or of African-American women’s hair.
What I did was hire three chemists; specialists in both the cosmetic and hair care fields, who did the necessary research for me. In this way, not only was I able to take the project, I also got the product I needed done in a timely manner and was also able to build a technique of discovery with these chemists to better understand the market for the product we developed together.
My philosophy with regard to taking on new projects has been to never say that a job can’t be done because you might not necessarily know how to do it at that time. That would be staying in your comfort zone. Always say, “Yes, it can be done.” I think the comfortable way for me would have been to take jobs in one area, say the medical field where I have done a great deal of work. Even in a field I was fairly comfortable in I was asked to develop products in areas where I had little or no knowledge. I had to look outside of my comfort zone or “the box” to find solutions that worked for the companies that hired me.
Happily, I have found time and time again that almost every problem I have faced turned out to be solvable in one way or another – and I have acquired many new skills and much knowledge in a variety of areas.
Article – Copyright 2001 Stanley I. Mason. Syndicated by Paradigm News, Inc.
