Unlock Your Creative Potential by Applying Liminal Thinking

The front pediment of the late Temple of Delphi in ancient Greece portrayed Apollo. The god of perfection and order.

The back one instead depicted Dionysius, the god of wine, pleasure, and indulging.

As you know, Greek temples were symmetrical. Right in the middle of the temple at Delphi stood the statue of the goddess of wisdom, Athina.

The Greeks understood that we must explore what lies between different ways of seeing life to become wiser.

Creativity is problem-solving with relevance and novelty.

The business world is full of problems, but solving them is easier said than done.

Surrounding yourself with experts to find a solution can cause:

• Quick fixes

• Groupthink

• Status-quo bias

Humans have a tendency to seek consensus rather than diversity of opinion.

As a problem-solver, it's your job to challenge that dangerous "We've always done it that way" mindset.

As a leader, you must create safe spaces that empower everyone to defy the status-quo.

Why You Should Question What You Believe In

It's 2007, and the first iPhone just came out.

By that time, Nokia was the undisputed leader of the mobile phone industry.

All their subject-matter experts couldn't predict that Apple, a computer company, would threaten their business. They were too slow to make a move. 

Nokia believed they'd still be top-of-mind in this new context. Until their bubble of belief burst.

Our shared beliefs help protect us from cognitive dissonance and make quicker decisions.

This is useful when in danger. But, given time, beliefs form bubbles that become disconnected from the outside world.

Liminal thinking. How to Set Your Beliefs Aside And Try to Understand Other Perspectives.

Unexpected clarity could be on its way to you.

You can wait for it to appear like magic or create the conditions for it to emerge.

In his book Liminal Thinking, Jeff Gray investigates the principles of exploring alternative perspectives, developing purpose, and nurturing a growth mindset.

Liminal thinking is seeing the underlying relationships between concepts. This process can help put you in a clear state of mind where you can make decisions easily.

To do this, take inspiration from Zen philosophy and cultivate a Beginner's Mindset:

• Remove the word "should" from your vocabulary

• Don't be afraid to ask the dumb questions

• Create safe spaces to defy the status quo

• Break your routines to stimulate creativity

• Assume that you are biased

Look for connections between your beliefs and those of others and don't let your ego get in the way.

The Superpowers Framework. Using Liminal thinking to improve your business, engage customers and innovate.

Customers don't buy products; they buy a better version of themselves. Sell the transformation.

As a designer, it is my job to assemble these transformations into experiences that impact revenue, customer retention, and the user journey.

The Superpowers Framework is a 5 step tool to create compelling product applying foreign ideas as a group.

Step 1: Create the groups

Divide your team into groups as small and diverse as possible.

• People with different skills and expertise

• People unrelated to the project, if possible

• A 50/50 division between innovators and implementers

Step 2: Illustrate the journey

Illustrate the transformation of ONE User.

• Grab some pencil and paper, fold it into 6 panels

• Draw and write the happy ending of your customer story in the bottom-left one in 5 words or less (just like a comic).

• Continue with the beginning and then the rest of the steps.

• It's not a drawing competition. Stick figures are fine.

Step 3: Identify opportunities between the panels.

You should be able to pinpoint what steps of the experience could go wrong. Your job is to seize the opportunity to solve the User's pain points. This is where the Superpowers come in.

Step 4: Use the Superpowers

Prepare the Superpower cards before the exercise (nothing too fancy, a piece of paper will do).

Each card should include a company for inspiration. Use a combination of companies from different fields. Both mainstream companies like Airbnb and niche products like Strava are allowed.

• Give each group 3 or 4 Superpower Cards.

• Ask groups to describe or draw how each company would solve the pain points using any of their "Superpowers." Strava challenges, AirBnB experiences, Netflix recommendations, IFTTT integrations, etc.

• Have a Group Spokesperson present their ideas to the rest of the groups.

Step 5: Document, rank, and execute

Place the solutions on an impact/effort matrix to rank them. Then define the following steps to provide that new, improved journey for your fictional User.

Liminal Thinking is more than just a useful skill, it's the essential life hack that will help you become happier and more productive.

To me, the most interesting aspect of liminal thinking is its positive impact on my life – and that of those around me.

Anyone can benefit from approaching life with creativity.

In productivity

talking to people who have different perspectives and backgrounds can help you see problems in a different light and come up with better and faster solutions.

In networking

stepping outside of your bubble of belief will make you a better listener, increasing your chances of making new and exciting connections.

In your relationships

encouraging your loved ones to see the world from different perspectives will increase their chances of finding their calling in life.

Being creative at work can lead to a forward-thinking approach and change your business. Being creative outside of work can help you transform yourself and the people around you.

Take care,

Elias

P.s.: Have you figured out your own toolkit to escape beyond your bubble of belief? I would love to hear about it and learn from you. You can send me a DM @eliasmas_tw or reply to this email.

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