Have you heard of The Medici Effect? It’s a term inspired by the powerful Italian bankers, the Medici family, who were at the heart of breaking down traditional barriers to ignite the burst of Renaissance creativity.
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Is it better to specialise and focus on one thing or broaden your activities and interests? It turns out that having at least one stimulating hobby or interest outside of work, or more than one area of focus within your work, is likely to increase your career success.
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How do breakthroughs happen? It’s amazing how many times they start with a chance observation that triggers a spark which leads to a discovery.
Take the example of how the microwave oven came to be. The first one was built by a company called Raytheon in 1947, but the chance observation behind it took place two years earlier.
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Sometimes the tried and tested responses and the ‘typical’ ways don’t work. There are times when loosening the reins on your existing habits and established ideas are essential, particularly in fast moving and changeable environments. Sticking to the 'usual' plan may be the worst thing you can do. Sometimes a new idea that crops up is exactly the right idea to follow. Getting ready to improvise is about getting ready to reinvent new combinations from what you already have or know. And sometimes it can even be a life saver.
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When you want to make a change or an improvement do you tend to start from scratch or do you look for a similar idea elsewhere? Many of us start from scratch because it’s not always obvious that a precursor for an idea already exists which could prove helpful to adapt from. Why isn’t it obvious? Because many precursor ideas come from different industries, parts of life or separate places that you may not naturally be exposed to.
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We all know it’s good to take proper breaks during the day. There are endless articles giving endless reasons around increased mental and physical wellbeing, better work-life balance and improved performance. The focus is usually on the beneficial impact on our bodies and brains. However, it can also be the case that the activities we do in these breaks provide just the opportunistic spark of practical inspiration we need. Whatever we do, we shouldn’t waste these sources of inspiration right in front of us.
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It often makes sense to look at other people’s solutions; to steal inspiration and nab fresh ideas. However, it also limits us to what other people have done. There’s a huge amount of inspiration that can come from looking beyond what others have already tried.
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The world is full of stories of nature inspiring real-world problem solving - sometimes in life saving ways. Business legend and philanthropist Bill Gates gives one of his favourite examples as being how the kangaroo inspired baby care. In the 1970’s two Colombian paediatricians, Edgar Rey and Hector Martinez, were struggling to care for pre-term infants due to inadequate and insufficient incubators in Bogota, Columbia. They turned to the natural world and took inspiration from how kangaroos care for their young.
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