The Edge of Thinking Bigger

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who seemed to see the big picture so easily, and actually expanded your own thinking? A practice I’ve noticed some of the most effective senior executives apply is prioritizing time to think bigger. Observing this dedicated focus on expansive thinking in action is inspiring and legit as it yields innovation and game changing pivots. My experience as a coach is that although most leaders can imagine the benefits of adopting this practice they struggle with putting it into action. From years of working with leaders to close this gap, what helps is first getting clearer on what thinking bigger really means and requires, and applying three proven ways to build that practice. 

Cognitively Shifting Gears
Most of my clients spend a lot of their day in instinctive and reactive thinking modes to put out fires, respond to emergent senior stakeholder requests internally and externally, and unblock teams.  Thinking more expansively requires cognitively shifting gears to be deliberately reflective. This means going beyond common innovation practices like brainstorming to deliberately stepping out of our automatic/reactive mode and intentionally thinking about our thinking. Put simply, applying the skill of reflective thinking  gives us a chance to pause, analyze, and critically assess our own reasoning. In other words, in order to think outside the box, you first need to be aware that you’re in one. 

For example, coming back to brainstorming, after first generating ideas, take a moment to identify assumptions you’re making, consider two alternative points of view and how these change your approach and actions.  Adding this reflective takes us out of reactive mode to quickly notice our own limiting assumptions and blind spots. And it takes some practice. 

Building Reflective Chops
Like building any new skill, reflective thinking requires consistent practice and experimentation to learn and build chops.  Executives who engage in deliberate reflection on their own leadership accelerate their growth by reducing blind spots and expanding their thinking. The good news is many of us are already familiar with using forms of reflection in structured work activities such as post mortems on product launches and debriefs on projects.  These are great examples of how useful it can be to purposely focus your thinking on the past by reviewing actions, decisions, and results. In the same way, most of us are familiar with the value of directing our reflection toward the future in visioning sessions, considering possibilities on the horizon.  Some of us are also experienced with using mindfulness and somatic practices to help us reflect in the present by noticing our current experience in the moment.  Put together, all of these reflective directions hold the potential to disrupt “business as usual” and unlock innovation. 

A common metaphor used for reflective practice is to imagine an iceberg with the top part above the waterline representing actions, behaviors, and results (what we can literally see and hear), and hidden below the waterline are underlying beliefs and assumptions driving these outcomes.  When we actively reflect on these deeper elements we’re able to become more aware of “the box” we are operating from and test out alternative ways of thinking to step outside of it.  For example, by adding reflection following an initial rapid fire listing of ideas in brainstorming, we go below the waterline to examine our assumptions, opening the window to new thinking. 

What’s fun to watch as a coach is how by building their chops in reflection mode, leaders more easily unblock challenges, very quickly reaping the benefits of thinking bigger. And it requires some time.

Making (and claiming) Space
Let’s state the obvious, for executives there is a centrifugal force keeping you from leaning into reflection. As such, making the space on your calendar for this practice requires a bit of “claiming” this time for yourself because no one else will.  What seems to enable leaders to consistently hold self-reflection time is a mindset of investment and sovereignty.  I’ve witnessed how investing even 30 minutes can yield new insights and change a leader’s approach on how they lead a specific change. Sovereignty, the cousin to agency, is owning your power to claim the space needed for this investment.  For example, one client described wishing they had a dedicated conference room like their senior colleague to make claiming this space easier.  After thinking further she realized that it was within her power to book a room solely for this purpose without needing to announce it to others or ask permission.

Another benefit of claiming space to think bigger is it often requires delegating more, adding the benefit of growth opportunities for your teams. As with building any new habit, consistency is key. My advice to clients is to start with a small block of 30 minutes/week and build up to an hour. To meet the realities of a senior role, fluidity on when you hold the time is a given.  To maintain consistency, if possible, cut back on the time versus skipping altogether. 

In terms of finding the right space for reflection, your environment matters. Some people need a quiet room to hear themselves think.  Others prefer listening to music in the background or other background noises to support concentrating.  Many people describe movement as an enabler to think more clearly.  Test out what works best for you to step out of reactive mode and into reflective mode, where you challenge yourself to think at a deeper level below the waterline. 

Giving Yourself Support
Once you claim the space to reflect to create headwinds my recommendation is to use reflective tools specifically designed to support this deeper thinking.  This includes journaling with pen and paper to support shifting neural pathways, and reflective exercises.  Many times my homework for clients includes a reflective exercise to support thinking more expansively on a specific topic. If you Google the term “reflective exercise” you’ll easily find a number of great resources. 

On top of supporting yourself in the act of self-reflection it can be enormously beneficial to share and discuss your reflections with someone you trust.  As humans we are physiologically unable to see ourselves clearly, hence the term blind spots.  Simply by holding a different vantage point others are often able to see things we miss and help us to naturally consider alternative points of view and expand our thinking. 

Here is a recap on how to build a practical system that supports your intention to pause and shift gears for thinking bigger.

1. Building reflective chops by applying reflective tools such as inquiry to expand your thinking on an important topic.
2. Making (and claiming) space on your schedule and in your physical environment to consistently step back and think more reflectively. This includes finding the right space for you to step back and self-reflect by experimenting with different possibilities – a room with others busy around you so you can concentrate or the opposite, a quiet space to think, inside or outside, still or moving, and time of day that supports your best thinking. 
3. Give yourself support by periodically bringing in others to share your reflections and help you think more expansively.

Experiment with building this practice for yourself and see what it yields.  

Thinking bigger is not just about the amount of time allocated, it’s how you use that time. With focus and practice, prioritizing thinking expansively literally gives you an edge as a leader by creating new possibilities and shining the light on pivots for success.