Recently we’ve been discussing divergent thinking and the powerful impact that it can have on your small business. For many people, divergent thinking sounds great in theory but it seems next to impossible to implement. In a previous post, we talked about finding inspiration from people around you or from the writings/presentations of other well-known divergent thinkers. While it may be inspiring to hear from others who are so successful at this type of thinking, it can also be very intimidating. What if you realized that you are already practicing divergent thinking skills in your daily life? Suddenly, you aren’t trying to change the very way that you think - you are simply trying to take a technique that you use in your personal life and apply it to your business. Sounds a lot less complicated, doesn’t it? If you really want to step out and make a change, try our free small business inventory system today. Diverge from the old school methods of pen and paper. Enjoy the time and freedom you'll have from knowing where you stand anytime/anywhere.
Let’s start with a simple example. We’ve all been dressing ourselves for quite some time now. I’m sure by now, we’re very comfortable with the process. That comfort level hasn’t led to complete stagnation though. Far from it, whether it’s simply replacing worn out items or adding to our closets we all buy some new clothing annually. There is nothing particularly special about this. The divergent thinking comes in when we actually go to get dressed on any given day. Most people have favorite combinations of the clothing in their closets. You have that one jacket that you like with that certain shirt and you know that it matches a particular pair of pants. You always know that you don’t always have to wear those three items together. Each piece will likely go with several other pieces in your closet and may even look entirely different when paired with other complements. If we’ve lost any of the men out there, let me bring you back. You probably have a pair of jeans. You know that you can throw on a t-shirt and sneakers and be ready to go. You also know that if you put on a button down shirt and a nicer pair of shoes the whole effect is completely different. This at the basest level is divergent thinking. Jeans, shirt and shoes equals one complete outfit. Jeans, dress shirt and nice shoes equals a completely different outfit and depending on your plan for the day one may be much more acceptable and appropriate than the other. By not just settling for the quickest, most direct way to reaching your end goal of leaving the house fully clothed you have become to stretch your thinking capacity. Now take it a step further. Imagine that you wherever you are headed today requires an extra special amount of attention to detail when dressing. You already know what things you can tweak to improve the overall effect of your dressing. Whether it’s a tie for men or jewelry or other accessories for women, we all know what little pieces to reach for to add that special little touch. Of course, to really practice divergent thinking while getting dressed we would need to re-purpose items. Use a sock as a pocket flourish, or a scarf as purse strap and so on. Most of us don’t do that, but we certainly could if we were pressed to come up with an idea. Thinking outside the norm like that in an arena such as dressing ourselves is a great first step on the path towards divergent thinking. Once you become comfortable with change, then step it up a notch. Start with low risk/high reward scenarios. Our free small business inventory system is a great way to lower the risk associated with changing your business operations - while saving time and money.
Once you master the concept at home it isn’t such a stretch to begin implementing it at work. You’ll be amazed by what a difference divergent thinking can make for your small business. We encourage you to be different and think big. That's exactly what led us to create the world's best free small business inventory system.
