The Setup

Choosing the right problem is more important than finding the best solution. If you don’t pick the right issue, you waste time implementing unwanted or unneeded actions. Take a couple of steps back, ensure enough time is given to isolate the problem and proceed confidently to solutions.

The Approach

• Assess your tools and figure out if you rely on one too heavily.
• Unravel each problem to see its merit and whether it is worthy of pursuing.
• Recognize that information or data is a map of reality and not actual. Review those imperfections.
• Utilize hypothetical situations to examine a problem’s outcome.

​The Latticework

• Maslow’s Hammer asks you to be wise with the tools you use or fall into regularly.
• Second Order Thinking asks you to look beneath the surface.
• The Map is not the Territory notes; a map is not reality. It represents a territory. A map is symbolic, a model of reality.
• Thought Experiments are imaginary scenarios where a hypothesis is examined to understand its outcome.

​The Deep Dive

​Maslow’s Hammer​
​If you only have a hammer, then everything looks like a nail. Folks mistakenly use Maslow’s Hammer by applying a familiar solution to every problem. Over-relying on one tool comes at the expense of employing a more suitable one. “Man with a hammer” syndrome is a subconscious process where individuals return to solutions that have worked previously without thought or hesitation instead of considering options.

​Second Order Thinking​
​Don’t search for a solution by thinking linearly; consider outcomes you don’t want to occur first. So, think about how things can go wrong rather than plot a one-year plan meticulously. Figure out how you or the idea will fail so you don’t end up there. By inverting a problem, you can better understand what you don’t want to happen and avoid adverse effects you would have otherwise invited. Thinking forwards is additive and solutions-oriented, whereas thinking backward is subtractive and seeks to remove missteps. Using inversion, you’ll shine a light on roadblocks that are not immediately apparent.

​The Map is Not the Territory​
​A map is not reality; it represents a territory. In this context, a map is symbolic, a model of reality, and can even describe a moment in time that has passed. Maps are not perfect, which is purposefully so, as they reduce the Territory. Similarly, our minds create maps of reality; though the Territory exists beyond our minds, we construct it within ourselves. In that sense, maps help parse information. For example, a map can look similar to what it describes or use different structures to visualize the Territory.

​Thought Experiment​
​An imaginary scenario where a hypothesis, principle, or theory is examined to understand the outcomes. Narratives are often an easier route to understanding a complex problem, and thought experiments capitalize on this by using analogy to drive comprehension. Someone without previous experience in an industry can quickly learn a challenging idea and connect it to what they know. It generates new information by restructuring and reordering data from a new perspective. Thought experiments validate an existing theory, question an existing theory, create a new theory, and refute a current theory. They communicate complex theories accessibly, spark ideas, and promote speculation.