Act Like the Box Doesn't Exist

 We have all been told to think outside the box if we want to be more effective in the ever-changing business world. Items in the box are considered “old thinking.” The box contains ideas that are too passé for today’s world, especially for those of us that consider ourselves forward thinkers. Many of us like being on the cutting edge professionally and we find the ideas found in the box slow us down, hold us back and prevent us from achieving the success we desire.

So, we spend our time pursuing the ideas found outside the box. In fact, we often spend hours creating our OWN “out of the box” items. We pat ourselves on the back and sometimes ridicule those who are not as clever as us. Meanwhile, many people, our customers and clients included, hesitate to embrace what they consider our “radical” ideas and creations. Sigh! What is an entrepreneur to do?

I would like to offer a compromise. Rather than thinking outside the box or continuing to embrace the comfortable, reassuring ideas in the box, I suggest you act as if the box does not exist. The problem I find with outside the box thinking is it ignores ideas that are tried and true. Yes, they may be outdated but that doesn’t mean you eliminate them from consideration. Instead, when you act as if the box does not exist, it allows you to consider ways to combine the tried and true with a brand new approach. Remember, many of your clients and customers find comfort inside that box. By evolving the traditional with the innovative, you add the ingredient of familiarity to your creation. Suddenly, your creation is not so radical that it scares off people. Instead, it is fresh, fresh enough to pique their interest, fresh enough to attract new clients and customers.

Remember, when you find a way to incorporate ideas on both sides of that box, you get the very best of both worlds. What more could any of us possibly want?