9 Resources to Improve Your Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking is a mental process used by a person in the context of achieving success in a game or other endeavors. The result of this activity is thoughts about how to behave in the present in order to get something in the future.

A person who thinks strategically often asks himself the questions “What?”, “Why?” And How?". He thinks in terms of months, years, decades, plans his life for this period, but is capable of change. The strategist knows where and why he is going. He may make mistakes, but he is able to notice and correct them.

What is strategic thinking

This is the brain’s ability to see and solve problems that stand in the way of achieving a goal. Tasks include intermediate small tasks, awareness of how much and what resources will be needed, help from family and friends.

This type of thinking is similar to a computer game. It consists of several levels of varying difficulty. In life everything is the same. Only man is the player and creator of the game. He decides for himself which levels to go through.

A clear example of a strategy is the desire to build a new house. To achieve a big goal, you need to solve a number of small tasks:

find finance;
purchase a plot of land;
come up with a project;
hire a team of construction specialists;
start work;
control what is happening on the construction site;
move into a ready-made home.

Each paragraph consists of subparagraphs. Strategic thinking helps you see them all, draw up, and implement an action plan.

Processes occurring in the brain during planning

The formation of strategic thinking occurs at the level of development of the central nervous system. It is the complex structure of the brain that allows a person to use cognitive processes to survive and improve living conditions. The main department of this organ, responsible for intelligence, abstract perception and emotions, is the cerebral cortex. This is an area of mass accumulation of neurons connected by long and short processes. Cellular processes allow the transmission of signals and the formation of the thought process.

Neuroscientists have been studying the functioning of the brain for a long time and trying to connect their results with cognitive activity. Already available data makes it possible to determine which department of the organ is responsible for certain functions. For example, activity planning is associated with the functioning of the prefrontal cortex. The impulses arising in this area are reflected in our consciousness in the form of goals and intermediate tasks. Intelligence and creativity depend on associative connections in the brain. During the process of maturation, neurons must form new connections. The innate properties of the nervous system and the characteristics of upbringing play an important role in the development of mental activity.

Principles of Strategic Thinking

Any strategy is based on several principles that motivate action.

Observe and look for trends

Life moves at a frantic pace. This makes it difficult to see the big picture. Fatigue, stressful situations, and depression prevent you from focusing on the main thing and setting your priorities correctly.

To think strategically, you need to force yourself to look at the situation from the outside and identify trends. The surrounding reality is constantly changing. Therefore, sometimes it becomes possible to see the exact direction.

Psychologists recommend repeating the above steps regularly.

Ask tough questions

The second principle helps to observe the first. Complex, even awkward questions are a direct path to identifying trends. You could say that questions are the language of strategy. Only stupid people think with answers.

You can ask yourself about anything. This could be the future, career, strengths, weaknesses, habits, time management. Strategic thinking will not only help you get honest answers, but also help you understand what direction you need to move forward.

Behave like a strategist

A strategist will easily determine the importance of goals and their sequence. And all thanks to a number of useful skills. Two tips will help you study them. The first concerns written and oral communication. It must be structured and ordered.

Types of cognitive activity

Thinking is a cognitive process that gives a person the ability to observe changes in the world around him and make complex conclusions. Psychologists know the main types of thought processes. In different situations, people can use multiple cognitive functions to solve problems.

Main types of thinking:

Visually effective. The study of the properties of objects in the surrounding world is carried out using physical interaction. A person gains the necessary experience and draws conclusions.
Figurative. An idea of the properties of objects and phenomena appears in consciousness, reflecting real experience. To re-learn properties, the individual no longer requires physical interaction.
Verbal-logical. The emergence of spoken and written language is inextricably linked with the development of analytical abilities. Concepts about certain objects and phenomena arise in consciousness. Complex logical chains are formed.
Abstract-theoretical. The main difference between humans and animals is the ability to analyze in isolation from direct observation and interaction. People imagine themselves in different situations every day and imagine what decisions they would make.
Empirical. Over the course of their lives, people accumulate experience that sums up their understanding of the world around them. Experience helps to differentiate between theory and practice.
Creative. This is the most complex type of cognitive activity, combining abstraction, subjective views and developed imaginative perception.

Successful planning depends to a large extent on a combination of abstract-theoretical, visual-effective and creative thinking. You can learn to think strategically by improving these types of mental activities.

Skills that help develop strategic thinking

People are not born strategists. This is a great skill that develops throughout life. It is built on the basis of several small skills:

Determining the goal. Most people think abstractly, never deciding until the end of their lives what they really want. At the same time, they understand that determination is a component of success. Take, for example, the desire to build a house described above. You can simply express it. A more correct option is to specify it by choosing in advance the project and design of the future housing. This will help not only set one big and several small goals, but also create an action plan.
Search for information related to the goal. This skill includes communicating with people, working with sources, and analyzing received data. Another component is the ability to shift responsibility or give instructions to another person.
Planning. After defining the goal and collecting information, the development of intermediate goals begins, highlighting the weak parts of the plan. Here a time schedule, deadlines, and options for solving possible problems are formed. According to psychologists, planning is the most comprehensive skill of strategic thinking.
Action. The name speaks for itself. This is the implementation of the plan. The man understood what he wanted and how to get what he wanted. Now is the time to move in this direction. The path will be difficult. You may have to face unplanned situations and stress. But don't stop.

A separate item is the adjustment of the plan. It is impossible to provide all the details. Therefore, from time to time you will have to change something. The main thing is not to get sidetracked. Strategic thinking will help you always keep your biggest goal in mind rather than focusing on small ones.

How does strategy differ from tactics?

Before we figure out how to develop strategic thinking, let's try to find the answer to a very common question. This is probably what everyone asks themselves when they first encounter these concepts. If you don't pay enough attention to the topic, you can get confused and have a vague understanding of these concepts. Let's try to figure it out.

About 2,500 years ago, Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War. It contains the phrase: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest path to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

To put it simply, strategy answers the question “What?”, tactics answers the question “How?”. But not everything is so obvious.

Let us say right away that strategy and tactics do not diverge from each other, they are on the same plane.

A strategy defines your long-term goals and how you plan to achieve them.
Tactics are much more specific and often focus on smaller steps and shorter time frames along the way. These include best practices, specific plans, resources, and so on. They are also called "initiatives".

Here are three more important points:

Strategy is constant and long-term, while tactics can change depending on strategic objectives.
Strategy and tactics work together as a means to an end. If your strategy is to climb a mountain, one of the key components of the strategy may be deciding which side of the mountain you should start climbing it on. Your tactics are what equipment you will buy, what you will take with you, your complete trip plan, etc.
Strategy and tactics must always be consistent with each other. You may like a particular project (i.e. tactic), but only pursue it if it fits with your long-term strategy. In short, tactics can be changed frequently (if they do not meet the requirements of the strategy), while changing the strategy will take a lot of effort and time.

Remember that the strategy must be consistent, it is like a huge ship. Whereas tactics can be changed in order to correctly follow the strategy.

How to develop strategic thinking

The development process consists of several parts. At each stage you need to complete simple tasks that will teach you how to plan your life and achieve your goals.

Meditate

It has already been said above that thoughts play an important role. In many ways, it depends on them how the future of each individual person will turn out.

Strategic people understand the connection between thoughts, ideas, and plans. And if they don’t understand, then they try to recreate them. Reflection helps do this. The process will become more effective if you set aside a certain time for it, for example, an hour in the morning or evening. You need to have a blank sheet of paper and a pen with you.

Types of basic models

There are 4 types of basic models of strategic thinking:

"Feedback". It is necessary to learn how to correctly perceive criticism and compliments, as well as how to criticize and praise correctly. On the one hand, by sharply expressing your opinion, you can hurt people and turn them against you, on the other hand, false compliments do not bring any benefit.
"Conflict Resolution." There are several options - run, fight, give up, abdicate responsibility, compromise, come to a consensus. Each of them has its pros and cons, depending on the specific situation.
"Professional Guide". Life often brings us to crossroads where we need to make a specific choice about where to go next. By developing new strategic thinking, choice management becomes easier.
"Flow". “Flow” is possible when a person concentrates on his activity, is engaged in a task that he himself has chosen, has a clear goal, and his work receives an immediate and direct response.

Other components of strategic thinking

The above ways to develop the ability to think strategically are important. But they are not enough to 100% master this ability. You need to have a number of useful qualities.

Ability to delegate authority

For complex matters, help is needed. A person may not have enough finances, strength, or time. Therefore, some of the work should be delegated to assistants.

Strategic thinking in this case will help you understand who can handle which part of the strategy better.

This quality will be needed even in small matters, for example, running an online store. At first glance, this is easy. However, additional help from specialists is often required, in particular those involved in advertising or web design.

Openness to new things

Many people are characterized by inertia. They are not ready to give up their usual way of life, so they act the old fashioned way. This slows down their growth and forward movement.

There are different ways to fight inertia and at the same time become a strategist. One way is to constantly look for new opportunities and paths.

Breadth of thinking

Directly depends on your outlook and life experience. This quality helps take strategic thinking to the next level.

Every person needs breadth of thinking. Without it, it will not be possible to correctly assess reality and make decisions.

Application in the work of a leader, manager and other employees

Initially, the basics of strategic thinking were applied in military science. The word “strategy” is translated from Greek as the art of waging war, and now the meaning and application of strategy has expanded significantly, it is used in various areas of life, including business.

Strategic management in business can be represented as follows:

look for and apply new methods of solutions for various situations;
learn to work with various clients, including aggressive ones;
gather a united team and raise its corporate spirit;
create a project for a unified information space;
take a creative approach to solving assigned problems.

Managers and leaders certainly need strategic thinking in order to work more efficiently. According to statistics, about 96% of managers are busy with routine work, and they simply do not have time to work on global tasks. It is considered strategically correct to shift part of the work to your employees, and, while monitoring their activities, engage in market analysis and other problems that the manager faces.

The strategic thinking of employees is no less important than the strategic thinking of the manager. Fresh ideas in business are born in dialogues. Therefore, if a manager wants his employees not just to do work as a routine duty, but to live by this idea, he must develop strategic thinking in them and develop it further.

Attention! It is very important that the employee sees that the manager values not only the result of his work, but also his development.

Useful books

Books will help you learn to think strategically. They reveal the essence of the strategy and the rules for its implementation in practice. There are several examples:

G.N. Konstantinov “I am the strategy of an entrepreneur. How to combine business and life";
G. N. Konstantinov “Strategic thinking”;
Robert Greene "48 laws of power";
Frederic Beigbeder "99 Francs";
Lafley A., Martin R. “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works”;
Rumelt R. “Good strategy, bad strategy: what’s the difference and why it matters”;
Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tscheppeler “The Book of Solutions. 50 models of strategic thinking."

Read educational literature and apply the acquired knowledge in life.

Factors shaping the development of this ability

Factors that influence strategic thinking are divided into external and internal.

External factors:

Civil, social and political norms - the actions of any organization are limited by laws, government policies, public attitudes and social regulations.
The attractiveness of the industry and the level of competition - the assessment of this factor influences what position the organization will occupy in the market and how strong the competition will be.
Specific market threats and opportunities - developing measures to realize the most attractive opportunities, as well as creating defenses to protect the profitability of the company.

Internal factors:

strong and weak groans of the organization;
personal aspirations, business philosophy of leaders and managers;
shared values and corporate culture.

Anatoly Wasserman “Learn to evaluate information”

The famous scholar advises first of all to pay attention to information that contradicts your beliefs and views. In most cases, your knowledge will be enough to detect inaccuracies and errors in it.

If you cannot immediately refute information that disagrees with your views, rejoice. You have a chance to expand your understanding of the world and enrich your own knowledge.

He gives the example of the “cholesterol-free” label on a bottle of sunflower oil. What is she telling you? If you know that vegetable oils, by definition, cannot contain cholesterol, the meaning of this inscription boils down to one thing: the manufacturer is taking you for an idiot.

Wasserman also advises everyone to read four books to form a holistic picture of the world:

“Anti-Duhring. Dialectics of Nature” Friedrich Engels;
“The Sum of Technology” Stanislav Lem;
“The Blind Watchmaker” Richard Dawkins;
“The Science of Parallel Universes” by David Deutsch.

Mark Zuckerberg “Play sports”

The Facebook founder works out at the gym five times a week. He admits that sports not only helps him keep fit and feel good. During classes, Mark comes up with many interesting ideas that are worthy of implementation.

Follow his example if you haven’t already. During exercise, blood circulation improves and hormones are released that stimulate brain activity. Use sports as a dope to develop your thinking if you want to achieve results faster.

What skills will you gain as a result?

Lack of the ability to think tactically significantly reduces the likelihood of success. Spontaneous, thoughtless actions rarely lead to a positive and desirable result. And this is how people who are unsure of themselves act and get lost when they need to make a quick decision. Gustave Flaubert said: “When a plan is built too long and too carefully, it ends up disappearing.” Therefore, sometimes it is better to make a quick decision than to think about it for a long time and end up achieving nothing.

This mindset will allow you to achieve your goals without much expense, solve complex problems and overcome difficulties with ease. Tactical thinking makes us more focused, stimulating us to solve problems faster and better. This cannot be said about a person with an ordinary mindset who is accustomed to acting conservatively and does not approve of improvisation.

A tactically thinking person knows how to analyze, evaluate and select the most profitable option for him. He always strives for his goal and fully invests his strength and energy in decisions and actions.

Aristotle “Learn to assimilate a thought without accepting it as truth”

In other words, learn to think critically. In a continuous flow of information, it is very difficult to separate truth from lies. Don't take everything for granted. Especially something about which you have very little information.

Remember that many people try to manipulate the minds of the masses to achieve their own goals. Therefore, always check the information entering your head according to the following criteria:

the presence of specific facts (dates, numbers, names);
indication of source;
objectivity of presentation (lack of assessments, emotions, interpretations of the author);
reputation (opinion of people and communities authoritative in the field).

But even the information meets all the above criteria does not guarantee its 100% truth. Therefore, conclusions often have to be made on a whim, relying on a sixth sense.

Albert Einstein: “Find new ways to use ordinary objects”

A great way to develop breadth of thought and stimulate a brain tired of routine. Choose one item every day and come up with creative ways to use it. And bring to life the most interesting one, in your opinion.

Make an hourglass out of a holey sock? Yes, easily! A mousetrap made from a hairpin? Great idea! Try it - it's a fun, easy and exciting way to become smarter. In the end, the creator of the theory of relativity will not advise anything bad.

Just please don't hammer nails with a microscope.

I recommend that you take a look at the Wikium site and wander around. You will find a large number of courses, simulators, useful articles on the development of thinking, imagination and memory. I will return to this project at the end of the article.

Steve Jobs: “Do meditation”

The Apple founder was seriously interested in Eastern philosophy and even professed Buddhism. Meditation helped him focus and relieve stress. They also opened the door to knowledge that was inaccessible to rational perception. Here's what Steve said in an interview:

“If you just sit and contemplate, you will notice how limitless your thinking is. If you try to calm him down, you will only make things worse. After a while, it will calm down on its own, and you will gain control over it. At this moment, intuition awakens, and you see everything around you much more clearly and deeply than you saw before.”

I guess I'll follow his example right now. Which is what I advise you to do. I just have a suitable video in stock.

Define indicators of progress and success

Effective marketing goes far beyond generating ideas. Success cannot be automated, and as I said before, there is no such thing as a perfect strategy.

More often than not, you will have to make changes on the fly by modifying your strategy. Understanding when to do this and why comes from constantly measuring the effectiveness of campaigns.

Use data not only to form the basis of your strategy, but also to constantly analyze the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.

You need to know exactly what success looks like to determine how to measure it.

Text: Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator

Photo: Klaus Vedfelt/GettyImages

In some areas, you can only succeed by thinking differently than your peers. For example, to be a successful scientist, it is not enough just to come to the right conclusions. Your ideas must also be original. You cannot publish a scientific work consisting of well-known facts. You have to tell people something that they haven't thought of yet.

It's the same with investors. Predicting the rise or fall of a company's shares is not enough. If other investors have similar expectations, then this will already affect the price of the securities - which means you won’t be able to make money. The only information that is truly valuable is information that no one else has.

A similar principle works with startups. There is no point in launching a business on an idea that everyone knows and considers good - someone has probably already tried to implement it. You have to do something that everyone around you (except you) thinks is a bad idea. For example, write software for small computers that are used by only a few thousand enthusiasts around the planet. Or open a website through which people can let strangers sleep on an air mattress for money.

Even when you write an essay, the same mechanism works. A text about what everyone already knows is mortal boredom. You need to talk about something new.

Yet this principle is not universal. In reality, it is not applicable to most areas. Most often, a person (for example, holding some kind of administrative position) only needs to do the right thing. It is not at all necessary for others to be mistaken.

Yes, there is room for innovation in any job. But in practice, there is a fairly clear line between areas where thinking independently is a vital necessity, and those where it is not at all necessary.

It’s a pity that no one told me about this difference as a child. Because this is the first thing you should think about when choosing a profession. Do you want to work where innovative thinking is valued? I suspect that most people will answer this question unconsciously before they are even aware of it. In my case it was exactly like that.

The ability to think independently is an innate rather than an acquired skill. Therefore, if you make a mistake with your choice of profession at the start, there is a risk of remaining unhappy. If a person by nature thinks differently from everyone else, working as a middle manager will make him depressed. And if he has standard thinking by nature, then trying to conduct original research will result in an incredible expenditure of effort and time.

Read also

"The Four Quadrants of Conformity." Read a new essay by Y Combinator founder Paul Graham

The difficulty is that people often cannot define their mentality on the spectrum from traditional to independent. A standard-minded person does not like the very thought of this. He sincerely believes that all his judgments are the result of his own thoughts. And the fact that they coincide with the beliefs of friends and acquaintances is simply a coincidence. While people with independent thinking often do not even suspect how different their ideas are from generally accepted norms - until they express them out loud. [1]

As we grow older, we begin to understand roughly the limits of our intellectual abilities. Skills in solving problems with given conditions help us evaluate this, because this is how we have been tested and evaluated by other people all our lives. But in school, non-standard thinking is usually ignored (except when they try to suppress it). Therefore, it can be difficult for us to understand how independently we think.

In professional life, you can often see how the Dunning-Kruger effect is implemented in practice. Conventional thinkers believe that they are independent thinkers, while open-minded thinkers constantly worry that their ideas are not original enough.

Is it possible to learn independent thinking? I think yes. Of course, this is mostly an innate skill. But there are ways to develop it, or at least not suppress it.

One of the most effective practices has already been naturally mastered by geeks - simply not paying attention to what others consider correct. It is quite difficult to become an opportunist if you have no idea what you need to adapt to. Perhaps such people are initially independent thinkers. Because a person with a standard mindset is uncomfortable living without knowing what others think. And he will make every effort to find out more about it.

The issue of environment is also important. If you communicate mainly with down-to-earth people, you will have to constantly choose your words and raise only topics that are interesting to a wide range of people. And this in turn will greatly affect your way of thinking. Communication with free-thinking people gives the opposite result. By listening to the unusual thoughts and conclusions of others, we ourselves begin to share our thoughts and generate new ideas.

At the same time, free-thinking people, as a rule, are uncomfortable surrounded by conformists - so they try to distance themselves from them at the first opportunity. But when you're still in high school, you don't have that opportunity. Typically, a school is a closed little world, the inhabitants of which have little self-confidence, and all this only contributes to the development of conformity. Therefore, for those who are used to thinking independently, school years are the worst memory. But here we can find advantages: school teaches us what to avoid. If in adult life you find yourself in a situation about which you can say “just like in school,” one thing is clear - it’s time to get out. [2]

People with a patterned and independent mindset also often have to coexist in successful startups. The founders and first employees of a new company are almost always free-thinking individuals. Otherwise, the startup simply would not have succeeded. But as the company grows, the number of standard-minded employees on the staff inevitably grows (there are simply more of them in nature). As a result, the wild spirit of freedom gradually dries up. This entails a number of problems, and the most obvious of them is . The strangest thing about all this is that it becomes much easier for founders to find a common language with colleagues from other startups than with their own team. [3]

Fortunately, you don’t have to spend 24 hours a day surrounded by free-thinking people. It is enough to maintain relationships with one or two acquaintances with a non-standard type of thinking. Once you establish contact, you will immediately understand that they are eager to share ideas with you - they need you too. And although universities no longer have a monopoly on education, you can still find original thinkers in good universities. Yes, most students most likely will not stand out from the general mass, but you will definitely find at least a few of the right people. Universities are in every way better than schools, where the likelihood of meeting a person with an independent mindset tends to zero.

You can also do the opposite: do not gather around yourself a small group of interesting interlocutors, but try to expand your circle of acquaintances as much as possible. This will reduce the influence of your inner circle on your way of thinking. And belonging to several different communities will allow you to transfer ideas and experiences to different groups.

When I say different people, I don't mean demographic differences. They just have to think differently - and then this technique will work. Traveling the world in search of new people and fresh ideas is a great plan. But in general, you can find an interesting person just by crossing the road. When I talk to someone who is well versed in a non-standard topic (which is almost anyone, if you dig deep), I try to figure out what unique knowledge they have. And there are almost always surprises waiting for me. It's generally great to strike up conversations with strangers, but I don't do it for the sake of the conversation itself. I really want to know more.

The source of inspiration can be sought both in space and in time. One way is to study human history. When I read historical materials, I try not only to find out what, where and when happened, but also to understand what was going on in the minds of people from the past? How did they see this world? This is a difficult process and it takes effort. History helps complete the picture of the world in the same way as travel to distant lands.

There are even more utilitarian ways to avoid being among those who share the generally accepted opinion. The most common advice is to make skepticism a habit. Any statement should be responded to by asking whether this is true. Not out loud, of course. I am not advocating placing the burden of proof on everyone you meet, as in a trial. Rather, you yourself should spend a little of your time to check or evaluate the information you hear.

Think of it like a puzzle. One way or another, some commonly held beliefs ultimately turn out to be false. Try to guess in advance which ones. The task is not just to find inaccuracies and flaws in imposed ideas, but to find new approaches hidden behind erroneous judgments. Don’t turn the game into stupid protocol snobbery; it’s better to arrange an exciting quest for yourself with the goal of revealing the unknown facets of the world. You will be surprised how often the question “is this true?” it is impossible to find a definite answer. With a sufficiently developed imagination, you can find so many threads in this labyrinth that you can hardly find time to follow them all.

In general, you cannot let any statement enter your head without checking it. Moreover, thoughts do not always come to us in the form of statements. The most powerful ideas are often vague and unspecific. How to recognize them in time? Just watch other people from the outside: where do they get their ideas?

If you look at the situation from a significant distance, you will notice that ideas spread between groups of people in waves. The most obvious example is fashion. At first, only a few people wear shirts of a certain cut, then more and more such shirts appear, until eventually half the city begins to dress the same. You may not think about your clothing style at all, but there is also intelligent fashion. And you are unlikely to want to be inside it. Not only because of the desire to remain the sole ruler of one’s thoughts, but also for the simple reason that unfashionable, unpopular ideas often lead to interesting results. It is best to look for hidden meanings where no one has yet looked. [4]

If we go beyond general advice, we will have to study the structure of independent thinking, that is, disassemble it into individual muscles - as if we were writing a program for working out in the gym. I imagine this structure as a combination of three components: a meticulous attitude to facts, resistance to imposed opinions and curiosity.

Meticulousness in working with facts is much more than an unwillingness to believe lies. This is the ability to determine the degree of trust in information. Most people, in their desire to believe or not believe, go to extremes: “unlikely” immediately turns into “impossible”, and “possible” into “undoubted”. [5]

To independent thinkers this may seem terribly frivolous. Yes, it is better to learn as much as possible on a topic of interest, including speculative hypotheses and obvious logical tautologies. But all this information must be carefully marked in the head according to the degree of reliability and trust. [6]

Therefore, free-thinking people are always afraid of any ideology. After all, following it requires us to accept a set of certain beliefs and treat them as religious covenants. For any person accustomed to thinking with his own head, the very thought of such an approach will be disgusting. It's like forcing a gourmet to bite into a sandwich filled with a bunch of ingredients of uncertain freshness and unknown origin.

Without a pedantic attitude to the truth, it is impossible to achieve an independent consciousness. It is not enough to simply not accept imposed beliefs. Sometimes people abandon conventional ideas in favor of the wildest conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are designed from the outset to consume people, so there is a risk of ending up becoming much more biased and dependent on external factors than ordinary people. Supporters of conspiracy theories are always the subject not just of the influence of pre-agreed axioms, but of a whole cult of obedience to a demanding teacher. [7]

Is it possible to become more meticulous about facts? The answer is rather positive. From my own experience, I can say that even a fleeting thought about something that you are used to treating with caution and pedantry makes you behave more selectively. This is one of those few blessings for which only the power of thought is needed. And this can be taught to children, as well as a caring attitude towards life in principle. I am sure that I owe this skill largely to my father. [8]

The second component is the rejection of imposed beliefs. This is the most visible part of independent thinking. But even this is often misunderstood. People think of rejection of dictated norms as a negative quality. And the markers used in the language only emphasize this characteristic: “You don’t think like everyone else”; “You don’t care what others think,” and so on. But this is by no means an attempt to isolate yourself from everyone and become inviolable. On the contrary, among the most independent people, the reluctance to listen to other people's advice is dictated by a positive impulse. This is not idle skepticism, but a conscious pleasure that can be found in ideas that subvert conventional norms. The less obvious these ideas are, the better.

At one time, some of the most innovative and breakthrough ideas seemed like just a frivolous joke. Remember how often you openly laughed at someone’s idea that later changed the world. And this is not because such ideas in themselves can cause laughter, but rather because of the proximity of humor and innovation. Both concepts have a certain element of surprise. Both phenomena may not be entirely related in nature, but they are not entirely distant from each other either. There is a certain correlation between a sense of humor and originality of thinking. In the same way, you can see the relationship between the lack of a sense of humor and traditional thinking. [9]

It is hardly possible to develop immunity to the dictates of other people's ideas. Of all three listed components, this is the only one that is 100% innate. Adults with this quality showed all the signs of intellectual isolation even in childhood. Even if we fail to develop in this direction, we can always build a fortress and protect ourselves from annoying advisers - surround ourselves with colleagues with a non-standard type of thinking.

The third and most interesting part is curiosity. This is the most succinct answer to the question of where innovative ideas come from - out of curiosity. This is exactly the feeling people experience before a bright thought illuminates them.

I am convinced that an unconventional mindset and curiosity go hand in hand. All my friends who are capable of original thinking are curious by nature. And those who have stereotyped thinking cannot boast of curiosity. What is interesting - except for children: they are all curious by nature. Perhaps because even to learn generally accepted truisms, you first need to show some inquisitiveness. Independence of thought is, if you like, intellectual gluttony. Curious people continue to seek out and absorb everything new and unusual when others are already fed up. [10]

The three components of independent thinking work only as a single mechanism: pedantry and reluctance to accept other people's ideas on faith free up space in the mind, and curiosity finds new food for the mind to fill this vacuum.

In this trinity, as in the human muscular skeleton, the components support each other. If you are selective enough when it comes to texture, you don’t have to be squeamish about imposed ideas - your pickiness has already done its job and cleared your mind of unnecessary information. Either of these two components also stimulates an inquisitive mind. If the mind is clear enough, there will be enough room for new things, and the discomfort of an unoccupied brain will fuel curiosity. Or, conversely, curiosity replaces other qualities: with sufficient interest and indifference to the topic, you do not need to clear your mind, since new ideas will simply displace everything unnecessary, hackneyed and banal, once acquired by chance.

The interchangeability of the listed qualities allows you to develop them to varying degrees, but obtain the same result. There is no single model of lateral thinking. Some people openly undermine the canons in their search for ideas, while others quietly and calmly explore the topic. But they all have a treasured key to this way of thinking.

So is there a way to cultivate curiosity? To begin with, you should avoid situations in which this quality is dulled. Does your current job require you to be curious? If not, it might be worth changing something.

The first step on the path to curiosity is working with topics that resonate with you. Very few people are interested in everything in the world, and we are hardly free to choose our interests. It’s up to us to decide whether we want to find topics that interest us or not. Or invent them, if you can’t do without it.

Try to surrender to the inquisitiveness of the mind, indulge it, constantly explore what is really interesting to you. Curiosity, unlike other feelings, is not dulled by too much hard work. The fewer answers, the more questions.

Curiosity is the most personal quality in this structure. You can be selective or reject the dictates of someone else’s thoughts in the most general areas of knowledge, but each person shows genuine interest in his own topic, different from others. It is curiosity that can serve as our compass. Therefore, if you want to make innovative discoveries, perhaps you should slightly change the well-worn phrase “do what you love” and make it a rule to “do interesting things.”