If you're like most people, it's been a while since you have. As adults we often stop doing creative pursuits because we overthink, fear judgement, doubt our abilities or simply tell ourselves we don't have the time. Part of the problem is our perception of what creativity is.

A study by Prof. Paul Nutt found that 71% of leadership teams only consider one option when making decisions. And their decisions failed 52% of the time over the long term. But when teams considered multiple alternatives, failure dropped to 32%.

The first step is to understand how creativity comes about. The most creative minds are curious. They enjoy exploration and connecting ideas across disciplines.

Running a small business is Everything Everywhere All at Once (to borrow a movie title). Probably my biggest mistake when I started my business was to think that I was doing enough.

Think about a major business decision your company made recently, an acquisition, a product launch or a big investment.

Most people assume that good analysis + smart leaders = great decisions. But research* shows that isn’t the case.

Observing the context, mood and underlying meaning behind human behaviour is key to gaining a deeper understanding of a particular situation. But how can we capture this information in a meaningful way and use it to gain insights that will help us?

I thought business success was mainly about operational excellence, but I learned it’s equally about growth. Early in my career, I saw projects get cancelled because they didn’t fit the strategy. I wanted to understand how these decisions were made. What differentiated the ideas that moved forward from those that didn’t?

When solving problems, most people grab onto one idea, test it and if it fails they start all over again. This is like peeling and cooking potatoes one by one. It’s obviously slow and a complete waste of time and energy.

Good business decision making requires strategic thinking, adaptability and the ability to consider long-term consequences. It’s a lot like chess. So, what can we learn from the game to help us make better business decisions?

An insight is more than just an observation, it’s an Aha! moment, a sudden shift in perspective that reveals a deeper understanding of a situation. Unlike observations insights uncover the deeper reasons behind people’s behaviours, values and decisions.

The best ideas seldom come from working alone. Some of the most innovative ideas are the result of unexpected partnerships where contrasting skills and backgrounds came together to create something entirely new.

Ever notice how your best ideas often come from a conversation rather than sitting alone with a blank page? That’s no accident. The human brain evolved to value social connection and cooperation. Being wired for collaboration improved our species' survival and problem-solving capabilities.

Getting things wrong is often seen as a setback, something to be avoided at all costs. But what if we shifted that perspective? What if this wasn’t something to fear but a tool that we could use?

Given the pace of change and the volatility in the world today, it’s not feasible to collect and analyse all the data needed to produce a predictable outcome (deterministic problem-solving). By the time you’ve gathered and reviewed everything, the situation may already have moved on. Sometimes the best way to find answers quickly is to use random sampling.

Business today is inherently complex. We face economic uncertainty, intricate organisational structures, multifaceted decision-making and information overload, amongst other things.

Given this complexity why do business leaders often fall into the trap of believing they have all the answers?

An autostereogram is one of those images that has a repetitive pattern of coloured dots that creates the optical illusion of a three-dimensional scene when viewed from the correct angle. The right perspective makes it more likely that you will see the whole picture.

While optimism and open-mindedness help us spot opportunities, a sceptical mindset can drive more powerful insights. Optimism is generally seen as a positive trait, but there is danger in too much of it. If we assume everything is going to go well, we have little reason to question what might go wrong.

Every parent has probably experienced the challenge of asking a toddler what they want. It’s far easier (for us) to limit the options to get to a decision by saying, “Do you want an apple or a banana?”. But teaching this or that decision making can be bad in the long term.

The most powerful ideas don’t come from thinking more deeply. They come from thinking wider.

Many managers rely too heavily on quantitative data, neglecting the human context behind the numbers.