It’s Obvious, Thank You
I’ve always been fascinated with problem solving. From puzzles, crosswords, how to use communication to solve business problems, move to different cities/countries, take new paths in life. This process of solving challenges is something that always brings a mix of thrill with anxiety with happiness. Not always in the same order. Usually, the moment you have a new question to solve is exciting. The first thoughts and researches maintain this energy, then probably goes down to a period of anxiety for not knowing anything at all and suddenly, just like magic, after a lot of involvement and persistency, the solution comes and everything works out. It always does.
After this dramatic description of the process of solving challenges, there is a specific topic that interests me a lot: the power of obvious. Specially in branding and communication universe. Thinking outside the box surely it’s important in the find ways to connect with people and build differentiation. But searching directly for an out of the box thought can make you become far from the obvious and, consequently, to a great simple answer to a question - that can also be different and bold. Like well said Patricia Madson, author of the book Improv Wisdom: “try to think also inside the box, just look with more attention”.
Some of the smartest solutions are those ones that seem known, for it’s obviousness. From the invention of the wheel to Google, the principle is obvious, but to get there takes a long and hard road. Getting there (in the obvious) is result of hard work and development of a repertoire in a field of knowledge, not just lapses of genius. Process that gave name to the term strategic intuition, way of thinking that is clear and comes slowly, after a long time dedicated to a subject.
The winner of the Nobel prize in economics, Ronald Coase, creator of the firm theory, said that he never did nothing that wasn’t obvious. In his own words: “What I’ve done was to point facts that, being so obvious, usually were forgotten”. Another one that did that but doesn’t exist for real is Adams Obvious, character of the homonymous book that sees the world in such an obvious way that he becomes reference in the solution of business problems. There is even an expression in english that defines what these people and characters do: Uncover the elephant in the room. The elephant being an essential (and obvious) element that is in front of everyone, but nobody is actually seeing it.
After reading and thinking a lot about the subject, I understood that there are two main reasons that make people not see what it’s front of them:
Not giving sufficient attention to analysis. It’s important to be fully involved and emerge and every information that could help to get to the better solution possible.
Trying to impress more as an individual than really solve the problem. To call attention, sometimes people end up not realizing that there are essential informations and opportunities that can give new meanings to the project.
The two points above can be really good reminders. It shouldn’t be a rule and it’s not supposed to be followed by everyone. In group projects, specially, doesn’t seem a good idea that all persons involved follow it. As I mentioned in the second paragraph, thinking outside the box has a lot of value, lapses of genius and gut feeling can come early and should be kept, at least for testing in the end of all analysis and conversations.
Thinking of it all, i don’t know if you remember having received “it’s obvious” as an answer for some proposal that you have made. I can remember a few. At the time, I didn’t understand as something positive. Today, if I strongly suggest something after a lot of involvement in a subject and someone say it’s obvious, I answer right away: thank you.
