I'm happy to share our newest title, Pink Bat: Turning Problems into Solutions! Michael McMillan, the author of Pink Bat
and Paper Airplane, is a thought leader in the field of innovation. Before writing for Simple Truths, he established a new standard in publishing with his New York Times best-selling pictorial autobiography of Michael Jordan, Rare Air. Here is an excerpt from Pink Bat, but before we do that, watch this minute long video:
Surprised? I certainly was. The first time I saw it was in a sales meeting. I remember asking myself, "What else do I miss seeing?" The video was based on a psychology experiment performed by Professor Daniel Simons (with a gorilla instead of a bear). Here's what Michael has to say about the experiment:
How could people not notice the gorilla in the room? Mostly because they weren't looking for it. They were focusing on something else. This explains how experts can be more susceptible to perceptual blindness than beginners, and why "outsiders" often find solutions that experienced "insiders" miss. Beginners and outsiders are open to possibilities and don't make assumptions. By extension, they're often better at finding solutions the experts have stopped seeing. Remember, Rat rarely played baseball with us... he didn't share our bias. Perceptual blindness sheds much light on why we miss obvious solutions. By focusing on one thing (a problem), we miss something else (a solution). Can you recall a specific time when a solution stared you right in the face, yet somehow you missed it? It always seems amazing after the fact, doesn't it? So, how do we start seeing the endless solutions that surround us each and every day?
Share your thoughts and answers in the comments section!