When Surrealism Meets Strategy and Leadership

We’ve been conditioned to live too much in our logical minds.

We place excessive importance on IQ tests accepting them as the ultimate measure of someone’s intelligence. It makes intelligence seem static and ignores the multifaceted and magical nature of human experience.

And then once in a century, individuals with otherworldly outlooks emerge to challenge our logic-based realities. Often, we ignore or eliminate them only to later realize that we need their thought process to break free from our rigid frameworks.

Logical and analytical thinking helps us connect the existing dots to make sense of our environment. Together they create a beautiful map of existing information that initially seemed too scattered.

But logic doesn’t create anything new per se.

Analytics doesn’t create a new reality; it predicts what’s possible based on past data.

Disruptive innovation and new ways of living happen outside of logic.

They emerge from other dimensions that we deem crazy or unrealistic. Or, surrealistic.

The world is constantly changing. So why do we get stuck in the old rules?

Why do we overstay our welcome in the old paradigms of existence?

Surrealism came to challenge the traditional understanding of reality.

It delved deep into the human psyche, bringing out our deepest thoughts and aspirations, and used them as raw materials to create new frameworks.

It sought to liberate the mind from the constraints of logic and reason.

Now, Surrealism can be a valuable addition to a leader’s strategic arsenal.

It demands the leaders reimagine not only what is possible for their companies but for the world at large.

It encourages breaking conventional boundaries by leading with unapologetic creativity, vision and transformative power.

For leaders to break through the status quo with courage and curiosity is a surrealistic act in a world bombarded with various tools designed to lure them into instant gratification and quick wins.

But only the truly brave get to architect a new world and create new realities for their businesses and industries.

It’s Time for Strategy and Leadership to Be Reimagined

Let’s see how leaders can apply Surrealism and use the power of their imagination to break conventional boundaries and drive transformative innovation.

The uncertainty, chaos and complexity of this world require not only practical solutions but also visionary thinking.

Imagination and systems intelligence will take leaders beyond the typical frameworks to new possibilities and will equip them to bring new realities into existence.

Imagination helps chart a course into uncharted territories, while systems intelligence helps navigate the new territories.

Leaders will be able to,

• Break Free from Conventional Thinking

Surrealism challenges standard expectations of reality.

As a leader, you can challenge traditional business models and organizational norms if you want to spark the kind of creativity that drives breakthrough innovations, allowing your business to disrupt industries and create new markets.

• Visualize the Future

It’s become vital to future-proof your organization.

As a leader, you must look beyond the obvious and think multidimensionally about potential futures and create strategies that keep you relevant.

• Solve Problems Creatively

Widely accepted problem-solving often leads to conventional outcomes.

Imagination allows you to tackle problems from new angles. Sometimes it leads to counterintuitive solutions, but it encourages boldness, experimentation and a willingness to entertain what may initially seem impossible. And that’s how you architect the new.

So, what does Surrealism really want from leaders?

It asks you to,

• break conventional boundaries so you are not confined by industry norms, organizational silos or past ways of working,
• have the courage to redefine what success looks like and to challenge assumptions that may no longer serve the organization,
• redefine your strategy by questioning established paradigms in your industries,
• understand that innovation lies at the edge of what is considered normal. It may include breaking organizational hierarchies, reinventing product categories and viewing your customer needs differently,
• explore the unknown,
• make uncertainty your driving force and the unknown a fertile ground for new ideas and opportunities,
• embrace the bizarre and get comfortable with the irrational,
• develop systems intelligence.

Listen, innovation isn’t just about generating new ideas.

It’s about creating a holistic systemic structure that supports continuous innovation.

It’s about seeing your organization as a system, breaking down silos, collaborating across departments and industries to bring innovation at a systemic level.

It’s about the internal and external ecosystems meeting to create a new reality.

Surrealism is your new paradigm as a leader.

You’ll be free from linear approaches and will enter a more fluid, system-oriented perspective on strategy and leadership.

Combine it with logical and analytical thinking and you have a full range of capabilities for innovation and growth.

Enjoy your newfound freedom!

Join me for more reflections on how art, science, philosophy, and spirituality intersect in strategy and leadership in next week’s edition. #alchemyinsystems