Flexible Thinking Forum

Just seen an advertisement poster for the ‘Daily Telegraph’ on the London underground.

It featured three unremarkable images of two sheds and a garage.

The remarkable factor is the caption beneath each of the pics, showing how they were the home, the first workplaces of, Harley Davidson, Ikea and Google.

Underneath is a headline which reads: ‘It Pays to Think Big’.

There seems to be an implication that the size of the thinking was crucial to the subsequent success.

Yet, the ad and its imagery I feel are missing the main point.

Sure, I am a great believer in the power of Vision. By having what I call a Big Box view of your destiny it is a powerful tool in your armoury for future success.

And sure enough, the ad pays tribute to three outstanding examples of ‘Big Thinking’.

Yet, in my work I have met many hundreds of ‘failures’ with Big Thinking; each had any one of great plans, organizational flow charts, great brand logos for the future empire, and even great, sexy buildings as homes for these forward minded Big Thinking businesses.

But none developed into a world-beating legend.

I am not knocking them for trying. Nor for having a dream.

Surely the most compelling message however, from the three images of the shed and garage is actually the essential ingredient for ensuring future success happens is two beautiful questions:

How can you be clearly focussed on your Big Goal, be driven around your point of difference, your competitive difference?

How do you engineer whatever resource you have around this spine to your future success.

As a result, you scrimp on the non-essentials, such as sexy buildings – witness the examples of Harley Davidson, Ikea and Google.

The danger of Big Thinking – without being focussed on the Big Goal and mindful of fundamental business realities (i.e. is the rent on a sexy building sustainable?) – is that it can lead to just dreamland success, without being rooted in the real world.

‘Big Thinking’ is a memorable, what I call a ‘sticky’ phrase. It is easily used to inspire others.

The alternative headline of ‘Big, clearly focussed thinking on your specific point of difference – and by the way scrimp on any non-essential’ is less word of mouth friendly.

It may be less inspirational, but is profoundly more insightful.

Just a thought.