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Using Diamond Thinking
A Challenging Situation
Last month, we looked at curiosity, one of the seven important principles for success outlined in Michael J Gelb’s study of an artistic and scientific genius: “How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci.” This time, we turn our attention to the second principle – challenge.
For Insight teams, challenge involves not just accepting conventional wisdom but questioning it. We all need to test the knowledge we acquire against both experience and persistence – and we also need to be willing to challenge ourselves and to learn from our mistakes. So how can we do this?
1) Think new thoughts
Leonardo Da Vinci wasn’t happy with the status quo. Instead, he was always experimenting and trying new things (as can be seen from his inventions). He never stopped learning and exploring - and he called himself ‘a disciple of experience’. Anyone who is brave enough to challenge traditional thinking is likely to experience a few disasters along the way - and Leonardo was no exception.
His failures included an attempt to divert the Arno River. His endeavours to invent a flying machine were also doomed: it never left the ground! However, he didn’t let such things deter him, as he was a great believer in learning from his experiences. The same is true of modern day successful entrepreneurs (such as Clive Sinclair, Alan Sugar and Richard Branson), who have had their share of failures along the way.
2) Challenge old ideas
The real significance of the Renaissance was that it challenged the assumptions, preconceptions and beliefs of the world. Leonardo’s creativity came from challenging the world view by first challenging his own views. So learning to think like Leonardo requires us to challenge our own opinions, assumptions and beliefs.
As insight professionals, we are well placed to break new ground by challenging the beliefs and assumptions of our organisations. We have a vast amount of information available to us but we need to take time to try and see things differently, so that we can find the real breakthroughs. This will involve piecing information together, looking at issues from different angles and searching for new opportunities. It’s also about moving on from analysis to judgement and intuition. This comes from using your wealth of experience and learning.
3) Learn from mistakes
The final element is learning from mistakes. When you make a mistake, rather than wallowing in it, focus on learning from it. Good judgement comes with experience – which we often gain from previous bad judgements. Treat mistakes as learning experiences. You can also learn from other people’s mistakes - so take note of any lessons that come from errors made by your colleagues. From a marketing point of view, you can also learn from mistakes made by your competitors.
Life – and business – is challenging. Let’s rise to the challenge!
