Lateral Thinking

1) Speak like a lateral thinker.

When faced with a situation that needs resolving, you might naturally default to following what people have done before, or looking for a set of guidelines on how to operate. 

Instead, point your mindset towards the lateral thinking method by remembering to use words like ‘options’, ’shortcuts’ or ‘alternatives’ - these will orient your perspective towards opening up multiple opportunities. 

The interesting thing about thinking creatively in this way is that once you see one alternative possibility, you’ll suddenly be able to see many.

2) Branch out your decisions.

For every decision you make, try to list two alternatives - even if they’re unnecessary. They could even be wildly fictional or totally useless. 

The point is to get into the practice of bringing multiple options to the table. 

You can do this privately, with decisions made in your personal life ('what shall I have for dinner tonight?') or share your discoveries with others (‘here’s the plan, and if it doesn’t work out, here’s a couple of alternatives’). 

This practice, like any other, soon becomes second nature, and eventually you’ll become an ‘idea machine’. One major advantage of this method is that you’ll always have a backup plan when the time comes.

3) Avoid structured thinking.

Defaulting to standard procedures is usually the easier way to go. If you’re doing something that’s been done before, especially when it’s by someone more experienced or senior than you, it’s pretty tempting to just follow a template. 

Instead of this, remind yourself that continuous improvement is a virtue, so exploring alternative paths will help your organization as well as yourself. 

Try not to feel like a rebel or rulebreaker when doing this - you’re simply participating in the process of innovation, and might uncover some really unique ways of doing things that others will appreciate. 

Don’t clip your wings - try to let those ideas fly.

4) Don’t always assume there’s a ‘right way’.

Just because others have paved the way before you, doesn’t mean they were one hundred percent correct. It might just mean they were first. 

Sure, there isn't always a need for different options. Safety procedures, for example, are there for a reason, and shouldn’t be tampered with. The same goes for legal regulations. But when the stakes aren’t so high - such as in workplace communications or product development - it might be your chance to set the new precedent. 

There’s a right way to do things, but there’s also a better way. Which one will you choose?