In my last job I spent a day shadowing Nathan Hughes, VP of Development at ePrize. He leads a team of talented software engineers. To say we think differently is an understatement. Nathan is a classic linear thinker and his thought process looks like this:
It was inspiring to watch him answer a question, deal with a team issue or solve a problem. Time and time again I would watch him methodically pose a question, gather the raw data, analyze and come up with answer. The process was clean, simple and pretty.
When I have a problem I think of it like this:
Yikes! Not clean, not simple and certainly not pretty. I don’t think in sequential steps. The problem rolls around and around in my head while I fill in the gaps. For instance if I were planning a dinner party it would look like this:
If I get stuck on one part the whole thing comes to halt. Picture it like you had a flat tire – most of the tire is fine, but that one leak is keeping you from moving. So now the planning of my party looks like this:
After I fill in every part of the puzzle then I can solve the problem. Once its finished I can “roll” or complete all the steps to come up with solution. In my head, now it looks like this:
Bottom Line: I can certainly plan a party, just don’t invite me to be the chef too. Recipes don’t turn out well if you don’t follow them step-by-step. Trust me. Get Nathan to help you and you’ll have much happier guests.
So back to my bag. Where to start? I had design ideas, branding thoughts, leather colors, funding questions, time restraints, zipper pulls, shipping concerns and “The Devil Wears Prada” running through my head at once. I was frozen with thought.
Tags: linear thinking, non-linear thinking, planning, problem solving
[...] I’d rolled around the bag idea enough I told Josh. Sitting in his office I came out with it, “I have [...]
[...] Find a lead, track down the answer and connect the dots. I’m hoping to see a complete circle of thought shortly, but so far all I have are the clues. Here are the dots I’m working on [...]
[...] a business is like solving a mystry to me. Maybe it’s because of how I think. It feels like I’m finding clues that will eventually lead solving the crime. Er, [...]
[...] even bare to post any pictures here until its all finished. The idea hasn’t come full circle so I can’t show you. But I’m totally content saying [...]