Tool 06/30 - Reverse Thinking

 

The objectives of this short ten minute exercise -

1. To learn a tool that will be helpful in work life 
2. To apply the learning within a few minutes of learning
3. To use this as a morning ritual to start a great day 

Step 1 - the warm up

Keep your journal and pen at hand

Sit in a relaxed position with an intent to go into a ‘flow state’ to learn something new

Take three deep, powerful breaths to lock in your focus and start the next step

Step 2 - the learning

About Reverse thinking

Reverse Thinking is a creative problem-solving tool that challenges conventional approaches by reversing assumptions to generate innovative solutions. While not attributed to a specific inventor, it gained traction in business during the 20th century, inspired by lateral thinking concepts popularized by Edward de Bono. It's widely used for disruptive innovation.

Situations (examples) where this tool can be best used

• Enhancing customer experience
• Driving employee engagement
• Innovation in product development

The top three mental muscles (competencies) developed by practicing this tool

• Problem-Solving - Addressing challenges
• Resourcefulness - Finding creative solutions with available resources
• Resilience - Staying focused and composed under pressure or setbacks

A corporate story to understand the usage of this tool

Sara Blakely (Spanx) story

Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, revolutionized the shapewear industry using Reverse Thinking.

Problem

Women struggled with uncomfortable, bulky shapewear that created visible lines under clothes, making them feel self-conscious.

Problem in Reverse

Instead of focusing on making shapewear more comfortable or less bulky, Blakely flipped the problem: How could shapewear make women feel confident without being noticed? This reverse thinking led to the concept of invisible, lightweight, and comfortable shapewear.

Brainstorm the Reverse Problem

Blakely brainstormed ideas for a product that could provide support while being barely noticeable. She wanted shapewear that was seamless, breathable, and could be worn under a variety of outfits without compromising comfort.

Reverse the Ideas

Rather than designing shapewear that sucked in or constricted, she created a product that used innovative fabric technology to smooth and shape discreetly. The focus shifted from harsh compression to a more natural, supportive fit.

Implement the Solution

Blakely launched Spanx with a simple yet revolutionary design. The product was an instant success, allowing women to feel confident without the discomfort of traditional shapewear.

By applying Reverse Thinking, Blakely created a groundbreaking product that transformed the fashion industry.

A story from the World Wars

My personal story

The context

Managers often dislike conducting regular performance review meetings. 

Some reasons - 

• lot of time needed to prepare for and conduct these meetings for all team members
• discomfort with difficult conversations
• No belief in this process. They feel it is just a tick in the box for HR

Problem - The task of conducting regular performance reviews is perceived as a waste of time by many Managers. How can we change this perception?

Problem in reverse - How can we make performance reviews even more of a waste of time?

Brainstorm the reverse problem - Make the process tedious, make it a trauma, increase the frequency to weekly meetings  ....

Reverse the ideas - make it fun, show how it adds value to the manager… make the meetings as coaching practice for the managers

Implement the solution - Manager practices the art of coaching using these meetings and he/ she gets credit scores for these sessions

Step 3 - the reflection

Sit back, go down memory lane, think of various events in your work life where you could have used this learning.

If nothing comes to mind, think of a situation that would help you answer any one of these interview questions.

1. “Describe a time when you solved a difficult problem creatively.” - Share how you flipped the problem’s assumptions to generate out-of-the-box solutions.
2. “How do you approach problem-solving when conventional methods fail?” - Explain your process of reversing the problem or assumptions to identify innovative solutions.
3. “​​Tell me about a time when you challenged the status quo.” - Discuss how you used reverse thinking to question traditional practices

Step 4 - the practice

Apply your learning to the situation you selected above.

• Define the problem
• Reverse the problem
• Brainstorm the reverse problem
• Reverse the ideas again
• Evaluate and implement

Step 5 - the victory lap

Celebrate your achievement for a minute. Maybe a quick victory lap doing some energizing exercise?

**

To those who felt, “Some tools don’t apply to people’s specific context so they are reluctant to invest time and effort.” - Do you feel that the last ten minutes were worth the effort? 

This exercise is not only about management tools. It’s about building a neural pathway. And it’s about my mantra for creating small daily acts of feeling successful and happy. 

Don’t forget to carry this image 👇 in your mind. There could be a great situation where you may want to use the tool. Keep a log of all such situations. This practice will help you when you want to train someone.

My congratulations for your first dose of the day of success and happiness. Have a great day ahead.