Unlocking Productive Thinking with Tim Hurson's Think Better
George Bernard Shaw once said, “Imagination is the beginning of creation; you imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.” This powerful insight underpins the essence of Tim Hurson’s Think Better, a book that explores how to enhance creative thinking skills and develop innovative solutions that turn original ideas into reality.
In today's fast-moving business world, organizations often outsource tasks—but one thing they can’t outsource is the creative process. Business leaders must cultivate a culture of creative thinkers who can generate innovative ideas and solve complex problems. Hurson breaks down the barriers that block creativity in business and introduces a powerful tool—a six-step system—to improve idea generation, brainstorming sessions, and decision-making. Here’s how you can use these steps to fuel innovation in business and transform your creative ideas into successful ventures.
Why Productive Thinking is Hard
Most people struggle with creative thinking skills due to ingrained mental habits that limit their ability to explore creative solutions. Hurson identifies three major obstacles to innovative thinking:
Monkey Brain – Your mind constantly jumps from thought to thought, making it hard to focus. This disrupts your ability to generate valuable ideas or engage in deep idea generation.
Gator Brain – This primal response system often reacts emotionally before logic kicks in, preventing people from considering original ideas or imaginative thinking.
Pattern Addiction – Many people rely on past experiences rather than engaging in divergent thinking and exploring new perspectives. This limits the potential for lateral thinking and reduces the ability to come up with creative ideas.
To break free from these barriers and maximize your innovation skills, Hurson provides a structured process to develop innovative ideas and ensure creative juices keep flowing.
Step 1 - What’s Going On?
Before jumping to solutions, define the problem clearly. Too many brainstorming sessions rush toward answers without fully understanding the issue.
Identify the itch – What needs to change? Make a list of bad ideas and potential areas for improvement.
Determine the impact – How does the issue affect your business? What are the risks of ignoring it?
Gather information – Use the Know-Wonder tool to distinguish what you know and what you wonder about the problem.
Recognize stakeholders – Who is affected by this challenge? Understanding different perspectives will improve convergent thinking and help refine solutions.
Set the vision – Define the ideal future outcome. Every innovation course emphasizes that a clear vision is key to making creative ideas actionable.
Step 2 - What’s Success?
A well-defined goal ensures that your creative thinking skills are directed toward solutions that matter. Now that you understand the issue, define what success looks like. Hurson recommends two key strategies to make this process effective:
Visualize the outcome – Picture the creative solutions you want to implement. How will they improve business performance?
Create success criteria – Use the DRIVE framework to measure success:
D = Do – What specific results do you want?
R = Restrictions – What limitations must be considered?
I = Investment – How much time and money will be allocated?
V = Values – What guiding principles will shape decision-making?
E = Essential Outcomes – What are the must-have results for the solution to be successful?
Step 3 - What’s the Question?
Asking the right question ensures that you are targeting creative solutions that truly address the core issue. The quality of your solutions depends on the quality of your questions. Hurson’s C to the 5th method helps refine them:
Call – Separate real questions from those that simply mask answers.
Cluster – Group similar questions together for better clarity.
Combine – Merge questions to uncover deeper insights.
Clarify – Simplify and break down questions into manageable parts.
Choose – Select the most relevant question and focus on solving it.
Step 4 - Generate Answers
Now, it's time to let your creative juices flow. Great creative thinkers explore a wide range of possibilities before settling on a solution.
List all potential solutions – Encourage divergent thinking by considering bad ideas, abstract ideas, and unconventional options.
Think from different perspectives – How would an AI system solve this problem? What about a child? This approach enhances lateral thinking and innovation skills.
Refine the best ideas – Use the C to the 5th method again to eliminate weak ideas and strengthen promising ones.
Step 5 - Forge the Solution
This structured creative process ensures that your original ideas are strong enough for execution. Once you have promising ideas, refine them using Hurson’s POWER method:
P = Positive – What are the strengths of the idea?
O = Objections – What are the challenges or risks?
W = What else – Are there hidden elements that need to be addressed?
E = Enhancement – How can you improve the idea?
R = Remedies – What can you do to minimize risks and maximize impact?
Step 6: - Align Resources
By strategically planning these resources, you ensure that your innovative thinking leads to real-world success. Ideas without execution are useless. Hurson’s EFFECT framework helps align the necessary resources:
E = Energy – How much effort is required?
F = Funds – What financial investment is needed?
F = Free Time – How long will implementation take?
E = Expertise – What skills are required?
C = Conditions – What external factors influence success?
T = Thanks – What partnerships or collaborations are needed?
By incorporating creative ideas, brainstorming sessions, and innovation skills into your daily routine, you can turn bad ideas into innovative solutions that give your business a competitive edge. Take control of your thinking, embrace divergent thinking, and start building a future shaped by creative solutions.
