It is a common misconception that innovative thinkers are born that way.

Nothing is quite as precious or elusive as the ability to think critically. Now, imagine this: if you can outsmart the crowd, you're practically sitting on a throne of free time while everyone else is busy cleaning up avoidable messes. The secret is that if you stop pondering right when everyone else does, you'll find yourself stuck in the same noodle soup of thoughts as everyone else — and that's not the gourmet cuisine you want.

Thinking is tough work. It's like lifting weights with your brain, and unfortunately, most folks drop those mental dumbbells at the first sign of struggle. They glance at a problem, nod to themselves as if they're in a philosophical debate, and then zoom off to the next shiny distraction — missing all the juicy bits in between.

So, you want to sharpen that noggin of yours? Here's a little secret: the ultimate hack for thinking better is — wait for it — spending time thinking. Shocking.

This is why I write. Writing isn't just a tool for sharing ideas; it's a powerful catalyst for our understanding. Through writing, I can confront my misconceptions and embark on a journey toward clarity.

The best thing about writing is this: writing (and writing well) gives poor thinking nowhere to hide.

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Thinking in Time

In 1986, Richard Neustadt and Ernest May collaborated on one of the most elucidating works of strategy penned during the Cold War. Their Thinking in Time was a seminal piece for military planners. They had been at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, working explicitly on "using history" to help solve problems.

This remarkable book became a foundational piece of post-World War II statecraft. It offers case studies from both domestic and foreign policy, along with essential guidelines on what to examine in history and how to approach it.

The basic premise lies in analogies. Prescriptively, go back in time and find a case that was the most similar to something you may be experiencing (or expect to experience). Examine that case for similarities. Then, apply a similar methodology to your experience. Simple, right? It is so simple that anyone outside of policy spaces rarely tries it out.

Neustadt and May's book shines with a powerful insight: it masterfully connects the lessons of history to the art of decision-making, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Thinking in time allows us to look backward at historical examples and use their lessons and contexts to guide us on our own path of innovative thinking.

Thinking in Resources

Birger Wernerfelt identified a new approach to business thinking in 1984. Instead of all the effort and energy placed into the product side of a business for effective strategic management, he claimed that the resources used to make the company's products deserved an equal amount of attention.

It revolutionized business practices by redirecting attention from external market trends to the treasures within a company itself. It urged firms to uncover and harness their unique strengths, cultivating core competencies that competitors would find hard to replicate. Businesses learned that their most significant advantages lie not in copying the market but in fully embracing and refining their capabilities.

Why is this relevant? Your resources are the things you already have, and they're the things you control. They are your levers for taking any action, and they are what make you different. If you can leverage your resources, you can find new ways to do old things — the essence of innovation.

Thinking in Risk

Benjamin Franklin is often cited as America's original risk manager. Think about it: the man invented the lightning rod. Franklin didn't stop there; he spearheaded efforts to improve public safety by establishing streetlights, organizing night watchmen, and creating fire departments.

Effective risk management is crucial for safeguarding value and reputation. Something often overlooked is the organizational risk culture, which encompasses the attitudes and behaviors of frontline employees — essentially the first line of defense against risks. A robust risk culture facilitates sound decision-making, even in seemingly minor situations.

Contrary to popular belief, a strong risk culture doesn't mean avoiding risk. In fact, organizations with mature risk cultures might pursue aggressive strategies, such as entering new markets or pursuing acquisitions, while those with ineffective cultures may remain overly cautious.

Why is this relevant? Because there is an inherent risk in anything you do, and all innovative activities carry risk. The only real risk comes from not knowing what you're doing.

Thinking in Systems

Systems thinking has been one of my favorite research subjects since it was introduced to me. It has changed the way I think about the world and the way I interact with it.

Ludwig Von Bertalanffy described the world as systems with interacting components, applicable across various fields such as biology, cybernetics, and sociology. His General Systems Theory emphasized the importance of understanding systems as wholes rather than merely the sum of their parts.

Systems thinking helps us gain a holistic understanding of the relationships between the parts of a system rather than just isolated parts of a whole. It helps us identify patterns and relationships, reveal underlying structures and behaviors, foster diverse thinking, and treat underlying causes instead of symptoms.

Thinking in "Threes"

In 2005, I came across Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter. It discusses how triadic structures facilitate the mechanisms for how thinking emerges. What stuck was the value of "thinking in threes."

Scientific literature tells us that triadic structures are often seen as more stable and dynamic than dyadic ones because they allow for more complex interactions and relationships. A third element often transforms the dynamics significantly, providing a richer framework for understanding and managing interactions.

Utilizing analogies is an exceptional strategy for enhancing problem-solving abilities by connecting familiar scenarios to new situations. Analogies play a vital role in understanding complex or unfamiliar concepts. By linking these new ideas to what is already known, individuals can more easily navigate intricate details and abstract notions.

Remember, It's a Practice

I tried to weave time, resources, and systems together. It helped me solve complex problems in the national security and military strategy arenas. Many times, my ideas were not helpful, but some were. Almost all of my initial thoughts were trash. And every single one required refinement to some degree.

In 1936, Einstein said, "All of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking." The truth is that thinking is not a static skill; it can be cultivated and refined. Warren Buffett likes to talk about "people having a tendency to dabble," but investing time in thinking about thinking will undeniably lead to more robust, more capable mental models for complex and wicked problems.

Any photographer will tell you that the secret sauce to taking an innovative photo is knowing precisely when and where to break the rule of thirds. I think innovation is very similar. It's having practiced a discipline so much that you know what works and doesn't.

"If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained. Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing." — St. Augustine