March 2024 Peripheral Thinkers™ Newsletter
March 15, 2024
Aloha, Peripheral Thinkers™!
All music has a general set of rules to follow. From the rise and fall of classical to the thumping of Hip-Hop to the seemingly winding riffs of experimental jazz. Each style has a relatively predictable rhythm. And all music was born from revelation.
One of the questions I get about Peripheral Thinking™ is, “How do you get anything done if you are always looking for new ideas and breaking the rules?” The underlying belief is that Peripheral Thinking™ promotes distraction and daydreaming and minimizes action.
This month’s newsletter examines how rules, rhythms, and revelations apply to building an innovative business.
Let’s Rock!
Paul 🤙🏽
One. Two. One Two Three Four!
A Peripheral Perspective Of — Rules Rhythm Revelation
One of the questions I get about Peripheral Thinking™ is, “How do you get anything done if you are always looking for new ideas, dreaming up new approaches, and questioning rules?”
However, a thirst for a better way compels us to find answers to questions. To read more, dig deeper, and decipher these experiences into insights. Insights that separate experiences into elements. Elements that confirm, deny, or add to your knowledge resources. And apply the knowledge to build a better _______.
Whatever you believe about Peripheral Thinking™, know this… It’s more than creative, lateral thinking. It's more than thinking differently for the sake of thinking differently. It's more than novel yet short-lived actions.
The Peripheral Thinking™ skills model uses rules, rhythm, and revelation to build innovative companies.
Rules
There are undeniable rules, like fire burns. Mind your cash flow. Lying breaks trust. Time is finite. Breaking the law can lead to consequences.
Common sense dictates rules leaders consciously follow.
Then, some rules become standardized, which may or may not be beneficial. These are rules that have proven helpful over time. Or new rules that improve the speed with which you reach goals.
Beware of unquestioned standardized rules. Following rules for the sake of the rules or to comply with norms can create a cult-like ignorance. Just because everyone drinks the Kool-Aid doesn’t mean it’s healthy or helpful.
Some of the Peripheral Thinking™ rules (and associate ‘skills’) include:
Exploration uncovers new perspectives. (‘Investigating’)
Perspectives in use create growth. (‘Applying’)
Analysis breeds informed decisions. (‘Deciphering,’ ‘Surveying,’)
Insights applied uniquely create innovation (‘Interpreting’ ‘Inventing’)
Rules need not be constraining unless you allow them to be.
Rhythm
Rhythm informs and balances actions. It sets the cadence and results. In business, it often means expansion or reduction. Growth or maintenance. Sell or buy. This or that…
It’s a balance, but it doesn’t have to be an either-or decision. You can do them all simultaneously if your reasoning aligns with your purpose.
When an orchestra expands the volume of the string section while reducing the wind section, the music’s rhythm remains the same, but it emotes a different sensation. It is the same basic rhythm with different results.
All music moves forward. It brings in new sounds while quieting others. Still, it moves forward.
Knowing what rhythm to apply plays into your long-term success. At any moment, you may have competing urges… Expand now. Hold pat. Withdraw. Resist the urge to make a binary decision. Keep moving forward.
If you don’t believe your business has the right rhythm, try a little jazz. Mix it up. Experiment with new ideas. Focus more on one group, market, or offer. Combine your resources differently. Find the right mix for the moment and keep moving forward.
Explore. Analyze. Interpret. Apply.
Revelation
Someone has to try new things, or there is no progress. Someone must apply elements in new ways to innovate. That someone is either you or someone else. I prefer it to be you.
Revelation is the moment when different, often competing, rules collide to change the result of your rhythm into something richer. More productive. Innovative. Revolutionary.
It is the Aha moment—the “Mr Watson, come here. I want to see you ” moment — where everything changes, where you see new possibilities, where you find the je ne sais quoi that feeds your future.
Consider the different genres The Bettles applied to their music. For example, in 1965, George Harrison first encountered a sitar, a plucked stringed instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent and used in Hindustani classical music. Could it be any different from British Invasion Rock? Yet, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) by The Beatles was the first rock song to feature a sitar.
What happens when you combine Algerian folk music (Raï) with English Pop? Check out Desert Rose by Sting and Cheb Mami… Arabic chants and Sting’s unique Pop/Rock/Jazz style combine to create new rules and rhythms.
What Does It All Mean?
Rules are worth following when YOU prove them helpful. When you continually refine them. When you freely challenge them in search or creation of better rules.
Rhythm is always moving forward. Find yours and introduce new instruments to Jazz It Up. Experiment with new arrangements and find the right mix. Keep moving forward.
Revelation, simply put, is the outcome of combining existing elements in unique ways. Innovative organizations set the rules others follow. They create the rhythm others dance to. It is one of the greatest outcomes of Peripheral Thinking™: life-changing, industry-making, future-shaping innovations.
Learn how to do this, and there is nothing you cannot achieve.
Until next time… I’ll be looking for you in the periphery.
Now What?
Another question I get is, “How can I learn more?” That is my favorite question.
React to and comment on the newsletter. Your thoughts help everyone.
Share the newsletter with your connections and suggest they subscribe.
DM me with your questions or reach me at https://www.pauldanielsjr.com/contact.
If you want a refresher, you’ll find an overview of Peripheral Thinking™ here. Scroll down to “What is Peripheral Thinking™.
Additional News
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When you are ready, here’s how I can help you.
1. Executive & Board Advisory
Take your observations from the newsletter and start applying them to your business. The Peripheral Thinkers™ advisory programs help CEOs, Founders, Business Leaders, and Corporate Executives apply new perspectives to build innovative, disruption-proof businesses.
Programs are designed for your needs and delivered in 1:1, group, and ongoing advisory sessions. 👉🏽 select ADVISORY, and I’ll reach out to discuss your objectives.
2. Keynotes & Workshops
At a time when speeches and workshops look and sound the same, audiences say that the Peripheral Thinking™ message stands out. “New. Insightful. Inspiring. Immediately applicable.” Find samples here. Click on “Hold The Date,” and I’ll contact you to discuss how I can make your event the best ever. “With Paul on stage, event planners relax confidently. Sponsors stand proudly. Audiences engage fully.”