Thinking Outside the Box: Five Behaviors of Successful Leaders

Published: Thu, 06/05/14

"I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out." -- Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com.

If I had to pick just one piece of business advice that's become pure cliché over the past few decades, I'd select "think outside the box." I've heard this so many times in business circles, I have to resist rolling my eyes when I hear it. However, the intent has merit. Although overuse has run it into the ground, the lesson remains valid: don't let your preconceptions, habits, lack of information, and narrow-mindedness keep you from considering all possible aspects of a problem. Get outside your own mental constraints and consider all the information at your disposal, allowing yourself to see beyond your normal, limited horizon.

I hate to pick on Borders bookstores, which I still miss nearly three years after they went out of business. But their failure to acknowledge that electronic publishing really did represent the wave of the future helped kill them. Their executives couldn't see beyond their own borders (to coin a phrase haha). Sadly, it became clear something was wrong more than a year before they declared bankruptcy: I recall going into their stores and noting that they had turned off every other fluorescent light, and customer service just didn't seem as responsive. They'd even begun providing computers to let people look up and order books on their own. While that seemed a nice touch, when a company has to scrimp on its energy bills and customer service to survive, it's already seen the writing on the wall. Barnes and Noble brick and mortar stores, on the other hand, still flourish, because they've developed their own electronic publishing branch, complete with their own e-reader, the Nook.

Blasting off the Lid

As the team lead, you require a clear view that's not hemmed in. So you'll take full advantage of your own knowledge and other resources, including those of your colleagues and team members, to blast off the lid or otherwise dismantle the proverbial box. Just make sure that while doing so, you don't inadvertently create another box—or step so far outside your comfort zone you have no idea where to go from there.

Try these simple behaviors to push beyond any existing preconceived boundaries:

1. Monitor new technology. Even when you think it doesn't impact you, constantly study technological advances and how they impact other industries. You may find a way to turn them to your favor. Consider Starbucks. Do you think of it as just a place to get a nice cup of joe? Of course not. They've successfully integrated product placement from other industries, especially music; they offer travel mugs, a wide variety of ground and whole bean coffees you can take home, and other similar ancillary products. They even have food now (I love the blueberries in their oatmeal). More to the point, they've made themselves the go-to place for people who want to wander in and read in a comfortable environment, work on their computers, or even tap into free Wi-Fi.

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