How to “Think Big”
3-step recipe to invent
Survey: Unsurprisingly, many people ask me "How can I become a change agent, someone known for thinking big and inventing?" If there is enough interest (sign up below, no commitment at all, just saying you are interested), I will consider developing a live online class called "How to Think Big and Invent". Signing up will give you access to a short survey where you can tell me exactly what you want to cover and the roadblocks you experience with this ambiguous topic.
Amazon has a Leadership Principle — “Think Big” — “Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.”
When I started at Amazon I had no idea how to do this.
I thought that being a visionary was a gift you were born with.
More than 70 US patents later…
I’ve come to realize that there are systematic ways anyone can learn to Think Big.
The recipe:
Gather Information — you must know enough about your topic.
Invest Time — you cannot invent without effort.
Leverage Prompts — you can use tools to prompt your thinking.
Thinking Big is in part a synonym for invention.
To invent, it is usually required that you have basic expertise in a field.
I might have all the enthusiasm and energy to invent a cancer treatment, but since I am not a doctor, a chemist, or a biologist I lack all the basic information that would make it possible. While I might get very lucky and have a breakthrough in an area I know nothing about, it is unlikely.
Let’s break it down.
1. Gather Information
What this means for you is that if you need to Think Big in an area you must first study it enough to be conversant with the state of the art. You have to fill your brain with the raw material of the area where you wish to invent.
I have found that this usually means subscribing to the right authors or news feeds to fill my mind with a constant drip of new information about the topic. Having a process to get a consistent flow of customer input is another good way to have a constant flow of information.
As an example, by coaching executives I get new insight into their challenges and needs in every meeting.
2. Invest Time
The second thing you need is concentrated, focused thinking time. While you might have instant inspiration, most ideas come from taking the time to really work on the problems you are facing.
Ask yourself, when was the last time you pushed away all distractions to really think hard about a problem for an hour?
For many of you, the answer will be that you cannot recall the last time you sat alone in a room with a piece of paper and simply thought about a tough topic.
The good news is, you do not have to do this very often. A great idea can take weeks, months, or even years to fully realize. So you do not need too many great ideas to be an inventor. Edison is credited with the light bulb. Bell invented the telephone. Yet it took decades to bring light and phones just to America.
A few inventions can fill your life.
3. Leverage Prompts
Lastly, you need prompts to change your thinking. Some experts call these lenses. Different ways to view and combine the information in your head.
A big breakthrough for me was finding the Creative Whack Pack by Roger Von Oech. This simple deck of cards gives me quick access to more than fifty different prompts I can use to change my thinking and break out of being stuck.
Whatever you use, you need ways to diversify your thinking and get yourself unstuck. Sitting quietly in a room and looping through the same few ideas with no variation will only frustrate you.
Using this method, I went from believing I was not gifted as a visionary to helping invent and start numerous businesses, big and small, at Amazon. You can do the same.
Note that I do not claim this is the only method to invent things; what I do claim is that this approach reduces magic to something most people can go replicate.
Creative Whack Pack - Ethan’s Example Prompt In Action
Slay A Sacred Cow: Many rules outlive the purpose for which they were intended. What rule, policy, or way of thinking has been successfull for you in the past but may be limiting you now? What sacred cow can you slay?
Amazon is Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company according to its motto. I used to ask, what if we began with, ignore the customer? Those ideas themselves might not be good, but what do they enable or unlock?
What if you made dangerous kids’ toys?
What if low quality as an option?
Amazon doesn't do much traditional marketing. So another version is what could we change with a big marketing campaign?
Creative Whack Pack - Audience Example Prompt In Action
Get Out of the Dogma House: Nothing clouds your decision-making abilities like dogma. Everyone has externally imposed “shoulds” and values that influence their thinking. What dogma is clouding your mind?
I am in tech and my brother is a Pediatric Dentist. I introduced my brother to web3 / NFTs and long-story short: he has made a name for himself in the industry. He is on the Proof Collective Community Council (by community nomination and votes). He hosts popular web3 / NFT events in LA. He educates professionals in the medical and dentistry fields about web3 and he has plans to bridge web3 with Pediatric Dentistry to improve the patient experience. He is breaking the dogma of what a dentist “should” do.
Share This Article With Your Team
If you manage a team, share this article before your next brainstorming and/or annual planning cycle.
If you work with multiple stakeholders, share this article with your peers to get on the same page on how to go about “Thinking Big.”
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“The common trait of people who supposedly have vision is that they spend a lot of time reading and gathering information, and then they synthesize it until they come up with an idea.” — Fred Smith, Overnight Success: Federal Express and Frederick Smith, Its Renegade Creator
What are the benefits you got from 70 patents? My manager said requesting them are a lose of time. What I do with my ideas is showcase them in 1 pagers review with skip level managers and cross orgs, org hackathons, or share them in Op1/Op2. From one of the skip level reviews a team was created and from one of my proposal emails a product was created in another org. Though I didn’t get any visibility and people will forget it.