Beginner’s luck or an Explorer’s mindset?

Beginner’s luck – let’s all acknowledge that we’ve heard of this phenomenon where someone completely new to something can over outperform an expert. Some would call it universe’s way of introducing new hobbies to us, as beginners. But, perhaps there is something more scientific behind it.

Experts are experts because of diligence and practice – they have intuition, a mental map if you will of their area of expertise. However, a wonderful book named ‘Unsafe Thinking‘ goes beyond this idea to look at the types of mental mapping. When an expert’s mental map becomes rigid, it is in fact detrimental to the ability to problem solve effectively. In layman’s terms, one could call this missing the forest because one is so focused on a tree. And this is exactly what beginners are able to do – see the forest when they need to, with perhaps an under-appreciation for the tree that sometimes serves them well.

This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t strive to be experts. Instead, we should strive to be experts who can remain open – to ideas, to acceptance of our errors, to cross-pollination from other worlds. And to do so, playing Candy Crush on your phone to take a break from the problem you’re so focused on is counter-intuitively not very helpful.

Instead, we can reduce our propensity to rely on instincts built by years of practice by becoming a beginner or an explorer intentionally. The book goes on to talk about a few key ways of tackling this:

• Make time to do things you are new to – leave your comfort zone, if you will and become an explorer
• Leave your ego at the door and don’t pretend to be an expert in a space where you’re simply a beginner
• Take time to make important decisions so that you’re not digging your heels on the first solution you come up
• Adding one from my own experience in consulting – let your team challenge your solution and make it better. After all, there are people in your team so they can make an answer better

So, two actions for you if you’re interested in driving innovation, solving complex problems, and fostering creativity – if you’re a reader, read ‘Unsafe Thinking’, and become an explorer.

PS: Remember, the river only succeeds because it is resilient, changing its strategy to break through rocks, open to finding new cracks in the rock. So, let me leave you with this thought – be a river.