Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking

by Shane Snow

New ideas emerge when you question the assumptions upon which a problem is based (in this case: it’s that you can only help one person).

Lateral thinking doesn’t replace hard work; it eliminates unnecessary cycles.

The law of the lever, as shown by the Greek mathematician Archimedes, says the longer the lever, the less force you need exert.

how momentum—not experience—is the single biggest predictor of business and personal success.

“Once a small win has been accomplished,” Weick continues, “forces are set in motion that favor another small win.”

The key to Bigger or Better, in other words, is the “or.”

speed is not the cheetah’s biggest predatory advantage. As science writer Katie Hiler puts it, “It is their agility—their skill at leaping sideways, changing directions abruptly and slowing down quickly—that gives those antelope such bad odds.”

Business research shows that this kind of ladder switching generally tends to accelerate a company’s growth. Companies that pivot—that is, switch business models or products—while on the upswing tend to perform much better than those that stay on a single course.

Indeed, polls indicate that being “a strong and decisive leader” is the number one characteristic a presidential candidate can have.