Unlock Your Organization's Potential: Innovation Through Different Lenses

I’m pleased to share stimulating ideas, tips, research, and trends that can be useful in both your professional life and in managing your team and organization. These reflections are closely linked to innovation, human and organizational development, as well as adaptability and disruption in today’s business environment.

Best regards! I hope this reflection on the power of perspectives and innovation inspires us all to build more creative and successful organizations.

Have you ever wondered how changing the way you see the world could transform your team’s capacity for innovation?

Imagine if small shifts in how we approach problems and challenges could unlock new solutions, opportunities, and more effective outcomes. What if changing perspectives became the key to not just adapting but leading in a constantly evolving market?

If these questions spark your curiosity, this article is for you. Discover how "seeing life through different lenses" can become a strategic tool that drives creativity, adaptability, and success in your company.

Let’s explore: How can adopting new perspectives unlock your organization’s innovative potential?

How Seeing Life Through Different Lenses Can Open a World of Possibilities

In a world where innovative thinking is more essential than ever, the ability to view things from different perspectives can make all the difference. Changing the “lens” through which we see reality not only helps us discover new opportunities but also allows us to find more creative and effective solutions. Depending on the position we take, we can explore three types of “lenses” that help unlock a world of possibilities: the beginner’s lens, the contrarian lens, and the future lens.

1. The Beginner’s Lens

The beginner’s lens allows us to see things as if for the first time. Approaching a problem with curiosity and without preconceived notions frees us from the limitations that existing ideas often impose. Great innovators often make significant breakthroughs by viewing problems from this perspective.

Example: Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder, didn’t see technology as an engineer, but as a user. This vision was key to designing intuitive and accessible products like the iPhone, which revolutionized the tech industry.

Key question: If you knew nothing about this problem or system, what would you notice first? What aspects would seem confusing or exciting?

Personally, I love using this lens to reset my mind, preconceived ideas, and even stagnant progress, allowing me to change my perspective, deepen my understanding, and generate fresh knowledge and ideas.

2. The Contrarian Lens

Adopting the opposite point of view to what is generally accepted can also reveal unique solutions. This is the foundation of the “creative inversion” methodology, where established patterns are broken by thinking in the opposite direction. By questioning what is assumed to be true or unchangeable, we can arrive at disruptive innovations.

Example: IKEA and Google are great examples of applying this philosophy. While IKEA focuses on minimalism and simplicity in its products, Google has adopted a simplified design that prioritizes functionality over ornamentation.

Key question: What would happen if you did the opposite of what everyone else is doing? What assumptions could you challenge?

3. The Future Lens

This lens encourages us to visualize the world 5, 10, or 20 years from now. The most successful innovators are often visionaries who think beyond the present, projecting how trends and needs will evolve. These visionaries anticipate the innovations needed to face future challenges.

Example: Elon Musk, with his vision to colonize Mars through SpaceX, or his push for a more sustainable future with Tesla's electric cars, is a clear example of someone who adopts this type of thinking.

Key question: How will people’s needs and behaviors change in the future? What innovations will they need to adapt to that new world?

Challenges and Obstacles: Why Most People Can’t Change Their Lenses?

Despite the benefits, changing lenses isn’t always easy. Many factors prevent people from adopting new perspectives. Here are some common reasons why many fail to shift their worldview:

1. Social and Cultural Conditioning

From a young age, we are shaped by our families, schools, and societies, leading us to view the world in limited ways. Often, we feel trapped in a fixed set of beliefs and choices.

2. Fear of Failure

The fear of making mistakes or being judged prevents many people from exploring new ways of thinking or acting. Instead of seeing failure as part of the learning process, it becomes a stigma that paralyzes us.

3. Cognitive Blindness

At a neuropsychological level, the human brain tends to seek familiar patterns, known as “confirmation bias.” This means we prefer information that reinforces what we already believe, and avoid what contradicts our ideas.

4. Lack of Stimuli for Brain and Emotional Development

A lack of key elements during early childhood, such as proper education, interpersonal development, love, happiness, nutrition, reading, and exercise, limits the brain's ability to form new neural connections, leading to distorted perceptions and reduced creative abilities.

5. Pressure as a Catalyst for Evolution

While it’s often thought that social pressure inhibits innovation, history shows that pressure has been a driving force behind great advances. Today, generative AI (Gen AI) is becoming the new catalyst for our evolution.

How Can We Regain or Acquire These Lenses?

Acquiring new lenses is a process that requires conscious effort and the creation of the right environments.

Strategies for Developing the Beginner’s Mindset in Your Organization

If we had to design a "therapy" that helps people in your organization develop the ability to see the world from a fresh and innovative perspective, we could apply what we will call "Sun Therapy." This approach is based on principles of neuroplasticity, creativity, and philosophy, such as the "beginner's mindset" or shoshin in Zen, which promotes an open, unbiased attitude. Through this series of practices and approaches, the therapy seeks to reset current perceptions and open the mind to new possibilities.

Here’s a step-by-step proposal to implement this "Sun Therapy":

1. Mental Reset – Mindfulness and Meditation Exercises

The first step in cultivating a beginner’s mindset is to clear the mental noise accumulated by previous beliefs and assumptions. Meditation and mindfulness can be powerful tools to calm the mind and prepare it to observe the world with fresh eyes.

Suggestions:

Practice daily meditation (10-15 minutes) focused on mindfulness and breathing. This helps to stay present without judgment.

Exercise:

Propose a "blank mind" exercise: after meditation, invite participants to write down any thoughts, beliefs, or perceptions they have about a specific topic (e.g., a problem or task at work). Then, ask them to tear up the paper and reflect on how it feels to discard their preconceived ideas.

2. Curiosity Practice – Ask Like a Child

One of the most powerful features of the beginner’s mindset is the ability to ask questions without feeling embarrassed or constrained. Curiosity is a key driver of innovation, and adopting this approach can lead to major breakthroughs.

Suggestions:

Conduct an "Unanswered Questions" exercise: ask participants to choose a topic or problem and write down 10 unusual questions about it. The questions should be curiosity-driven, as if they’ve never heard of the topic before. For example, "Why are pizzas round but the boxes are square?"

Exercise:

Try child role-playing: organize sessions where participants take on the role of a 5-year-old and question everything in their environment with curiosity.

3. Unlearn to Relearn – Break with the Familiar

A common barrier to innovation is a fixation on what we already know. The beginner's mindset therapy should include exercises that force people to unlearn and see the world from a new perspective.

Suggestions:

Have participants take an everyday object (like a cup or a pen) and describe it as if they’re seeing it for the first time. What is it? What could it be used for?

Exercise:

Use techniques such as changing the environment or daily routine. Changing the workplace, the way daily tasks are done, or even rearranging the space can create new neural connections and foster creative thinking.

4. Playful Mindset – Gamify Problems

Play is a powerful tool that allows the brain to explore new solutions without the pressure of being right. A playful approach unlocks fresh perspectives and creates an environment where the creative process is valued as much as the outcome.

Suggestions:

Propose a playful challenge, where participants must solve a problem, but present it as a game. For example, solve a logistics problem using only drawings or everyday materials like dominoes.

Exercise:

Organize team-building activities, such as creating a solution to a problem with limited resources (e.g., paper and clips), fostering collaboration and out-of-the-box thinking.

5. Exposure to the Unknown – Step Out of the Comfort Zone

An essential part of the therapy is exposing people to environments or ideas completely unfamiliar to them. Exposure to the new forces the brain out of automatic patterns and adopts a more open and receptive mindset.

Suggestions:

Organize creative outings: visits to abstract art exhibitions, take classes outside their usual field (such as cooking, dancing, or ceramics), or visit places they have never explored before.

Exercise:

Encourage dialogue with the unknown: invite participants to talk to people outside their field of knowledge or culture and ask questions about their life or work. This allows them to understand problems from unusual perspectives.

6. Active Observation Practice – Active Listening – Don’t Speak

Innovation often comes from the ability to observe the world attentively and without haste. Helping people sharpen their observation skills is key to enhancing their beginner’s mindset.

Suggestions:

Organize observation walks where participants must carefully observe their surroundings and then write about details they would normally overlook.

Exercise:

Propose the "Find the Unusual" challenge: ask people to find something strange or different in a familiar place, forcing them to use their senses more consciously.

7. Reinterpret Failure – From Failure to Learning

Eliminating the mindset that failure is an obstacle is crucial to maintaining curiosity and openness to learning. Failure is one of the most powerful elements for generating innovation.

Suggestions:

Organize "Failure Celebration" sessions where participants share mistakes they’ve made and what they learned from them. This creates a culture where mistakes are seen as part of the innovation process.

Exercise:

Conduct a creative post-mortem analysis: evaluate projects that didn’t go as expected, but instead of focusing on failures, find positive aspects and opportunities that arose from those mistakes.

Recommendations for Parents: Avoiding the Loss of the "Beginner’s Lens" in Children

1. Fostering Curiosity and Unlimited Questions

Children can lose their "beginner’s lens" when they’re discouraged from asking questions or taught that there are fixed correct answers.

Exercises:

Encourage children to ask questions constantly, even if they seem irrelevant or absurd. Never minimize or dismiss their questions; instead, respond with another question that invites them to explore further.

Create a space where questions have no limits, and where the search for answers becomes a game of exploration.

2. Promote Creative Play and Imagination

Play is a natural method of learning and innovating. Children who play freely with their imagination often maintain their creativity throughout life.

Exercises:

Provide materials and environments where children can create freely (art, building, role-playing). Avoid games that limit their options or give automatic answers.

Participate in games where the rules are invented on the spot, so children learn that norms can be flexible and change with creativity.

3. Cultivate Resilience to Mistakes

Many children start to fear mistakes due to school or social pressure. Accepting mistakes as part of the process is key to maintaining an open mindset.

Exercises:

Celebrate mistakes as part of learning. Teach that every mistake is an opportunity to try something different, and that failure is not an end, but a step.

Create a family narrative where parents’ mistakes are also shared as examples of how to move forward.

4. Expose Children to Diverse Experiences

Limiting children’s experiences can restrict their ability to see the world from different angles. Don’t overprotect them; they have resilience, and if they see you confident, they will reinforce this.

Exercises:

Take children to new places, whether museums, libraries, natural parks, or even different cities and cultures. Each new experience is an opportunity to see the world differently.

Provide access to a variety of readings, games, movies, and forms of entertainment from different cultures and contexts.

Encourage them to interact in games with new children of various ages, whether in the park or other recreational spaces, where both victories and failures will enhance their skills.

5. Create an Environment of Love and Security

A safe and loving environment allows children to explore without fear, essential for maintaining their ability to see the world with an open mind.

Exercises:

Foster a relationship based on respect and unconditional love, where children feel safe to be themselves and explore the world in their own way.

Avoid overprotection that may inhibit the child’s natural curiosity. Allow them to experiment, try, and make mistakes in a supportive environment.

A Space Just for Us: How My Daughter Fernanda’s Imagination Challenges My Paradigms

Regarding children, I believe the real challenge lies in that it is often the parents who are without "lenses," while children, with their overflowing imagination, can offer surprising perspectives. Children often see the world with limitless creativity, suggesting that an object could have completely different functions than conventional ones. However, parents, by not listening carefully or clinging to their own preconceived beliefs, unknowingly limit their children’s creative potential.

The key to unlocking this creativity is for parents to listen with an open mind and ask themselves, “What if what my child is saying were true?” This type of questioning not only opens the door to innovation but also fosters respect and recognition of the innate wisdom children possess.

Children’s imagination, often underestimated, is a pure source of creative thinking that can offer fresh solutions to everyday problems.

An effective technique I use is to disconnect from what I’m doing and empty my mind. When I’m working on my computer and my daughter comes to talk to me, I stop what I’m doing, move my hands away from the keyboard, and immerse myself in a mental space where only she and I exist—her voice as a melody and my active listening, as if we were in space, but in a bright place without objects around, and my senses, while listening, interpret and reconstruct what she says, questioning: “If this were real, how could it improve the world? Can we create something with this? Is this better than what already exists?”

Do you have a strategy or practice that has helped you better connect with your children or foster creativity in your environment? Share it with us! We’d love to hear about your experiences and learn from your perspective.

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