Have you ever sat staring at your screen and tried to solve a problem? Have you ever stared at a textbook (calculus, anyone?) and tried to solve a problem? What about staring at a piece of blank paper waiting for words to flow from your pen?
Well, your trying was wrong. How do I know? Because you were staring at the problem head-on. One view, one angle, one perspective.
Next time you're stuck with a problem, try this trick. Write the problem on a whiteboard. (Or on a piece of paper which you can tape to the wall.) Now walk away and face the board (paper) head-on. Consider the problem.
Take a step to your left. Consider the problem. Take two steps to your right. Consider the problem. Take three steps to the left. And so on, increasing your viewing angle as you consider the problem.
All you are doing is looking at the problem from different angles. But doing so physically, by stepping away at angles, can trick your brain into "seeing" it differently, from different perspectives.
What if your team is in a meeting facing a whiteboard? Bingo! Every person is already looking at the board from a different angle, their unique perspective. Now all you need to do is get them to share what their angle reveals.
When solving problems, your angle makes all the difference. And the more angles you have, the better your potential solutions.
But why do angles work better? Because you are angling. You are fishing for ideas.
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Your Friday Trigger Question:
How well did you solve a problem head-on?
Welcome to my side of the nonsense angled divide.
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