Great Ideas Hide in Familiar Territory (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Creativity expert George Newman, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, outlined in his book How Great Ideas Happen: The Hidden Steps Behind Breakthrough Success a process where innovators uncover rather than invent their greatest triumphs.
Great Ideas Hide in Familiar Territory
History’s inventors rarely started from scratch. Spencer Silver aimed to develop a super-strong adhesive for aircraft in 1968, yet he created a weak, reusable glue instead.
His team tested concepts like sticky bulletin boards and reusable bookmarks before Post-it Notes succeeded nearly a decade later. These attempts shared the same core – paper plus the adhesive – but only one clicked due to a subtle shift.
Newman’s research highlights that breakthrough ideas resemble many failed ones, differing by a mere adjustment. Home chefs in one study prioritized originality in sandwiches, but customers preferred familiar flavors with a twist. Contestants on Top Chef who chased uniqueness often produced the lowest-rated dishes.
Success demands conventional foundations spiced with novelty.
“How many breakthrough ideas are sitting in someone’s drawer right now, just one small adjustment away from changing the world?”
Master the Art of Problem Finding
Truly creative minds excel at spotting problems before solving them. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi studied art students at the Art Institute of Chicago, who arranged objects for still-life drawings.
Those who explored objects deeply – assessing weight, angles, and spaces – outshone others 18 years later. Success came not from ambition or philosophy, but from letting challenges emerge naturally.
Newman urges attention to surroundings for hidden tensions. Author Margaret Atwood scours archives and clippings for story sparks. Creativity thrives on outward focus and keen observation.
“When we pay close attention to our surroundings, new opportunities and challenges begin to reveal themselves.”
Defy the Creative Cliff Illusion
Brainstormers often predict a productivity plunge after initial bursts. Studies by Brian Lucas and Loran Nordgren showed participants forecasting fewer ideas after two minutes during charity fundraising tasks.
Reality proved otherwise: output peaked in later minutes, with later ideas rated higher. Thomas Edison amassed over a thousand patents, James Dyson built 5,000 vacuum prototypes, and Dua Lipa penned 97 songs for her album Radical Optimism.
Persist beyond the perceived drop-off. Generate hundreds of options across sessions rather than stopping early. Quantity fuels quality in idea generation.
Give Ideas Time to Breathe
Initial excitement clouds judgment on promising concepts. Albert Einstein felt a nagging tension between observations and theories before relativity emerged.
People struggle to assess their own ideas due to attachment or abstraction. Delaying evaluation sharpens clarity, while fresh eyes from others provide objectivity.
“We become significantly better at evaluating our own ideas with a little time and space.”
Embrace discomfort as a signal. Early idea kernels predict success, guiding deeper excavation like unearthing a dinosaur fossil.
Refine by Subtracting, Not Adding
Paul Simon transformed South African street music into Graceland by editing raw sessions ruthlessly in 1984. He pioneered digital workstations to trim excess, crafting his masterpiece.
Studies reveal people add to writing or designs instead of cutting redundancies. View ideas as rafts to float, not towers to build – eliminate non-essential elements.
Breakthroughs surface through subtraction.
“Often, the biggest breakthroughs are revealed when we can strip away everything that’s not needed.”
Key Takeaways
- Blend 95% familiarity with 5% novelty for resonance.
- Spot problems in your environment before forcing solutions.
- Push brainstorming longer; best ideas emerge late.
Breakthrough ideas demand discovery, persistence, and pruning – skills open to anyone willing to observe closely and iterate boldly. What strategy will you try first? Share in the comments.