Many of you will be familiar with Scott Adams’ naive and downtrodden cartoon character Dilbert, who sits in a small cubicle all day working for a tyrannical boss. If you haven’t seen Dilbert before, you can easily find the website on the internet. There was a scene on last year’s calendar where Dilbert and Dogbert were looking at a panoramic scene. Dilbert said “wow, look at that!” and Dogbert’s response was “look at what?”

There are times when we discuss a problem with our colleagues and wonder why they can’t see the same things we do. Have you ever been looking for a home with someone who raves about the kitchen while you choose the workshop or the game room? This is pretty much the same, we can all look at the same thing and see different facets or sometimes, like Dogbert, nothing at all.

Albert Einstein commented that we are unable to solve problems in the same frame of reference in which they were created. Therefore, to solve problems or move forward in a difficult business situation, we must rethink or change the way we see things. They don’t need to be drastic changes. For instance:

• This piece does not fit; try turning it 90 degrees or maybe the other way around
• My clients are not buying the things that I make; Ask yourself, “Am I doing the things my clients want?”
• Traffic lights: are they designed to stop accidents or manage the flow of traffic?
• I want to write backwards – do I need to design a pressurized pen or will a pencil suffice?

So try changing the way you see the world and marvel at the increase in opportunities