You're Not Bad at Creative Thinking—You Just Don't Know What It Actually Is

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You probably think you're not creative.

Analytical? Yes.
Good at execution? Absolutely.
Strategic within your domain? Sure.

But creative? That's for other people. The designers. The artists. The "creative types."

You're the expert who solves problems systematically. Who implements solutions. Who executes well.

Creative thinking? That's not your strength.

Except here's what I've been noticing about experts and entrepreneurs who consistently solve the hardest problems:

They're not more creative. They just know what creative thinking actually is.

And it's not what you think.

Most of us think creative thinking means brainstorming sessions. Whiteboard exercises with sticky notes. "Thinking outside the box" (whatever that actually means).

That's not creative thinking. That's performance art.

Real creative thinking?

It's more systematic than that. More disciplined. And way more accessible to people like us who think we're "not creative."

You're probably already doing pieces of it.

You just don't recognize it because it doesn't look like what you think creativity looks like.

What Creative Thinking Actually Is

Let me be specific here, because the vague definitions don't help anyone.

Creative thinking is the systematic process of seeing problems differently than the standard view, which reveals solutions that weren't visible from the standard view.

For experts and entrepreneurs, that shows up as:

• Reframing problems - Questioning how the problem is framed instead of accepting it as stated

• Making unexpected connections - Seeing patterns across completely different contexts that transfer to yours

• Challenging invisible assumptions - Identifying what everyone treats as obviously true, then questioning it

• Shifting perspective deliberately - Looking at your situation from different vantage points to reveal new information

None of that requires brainstorming. All of it is systematic. All of it is learnable.

Systematic Creative Thinking for Experts (The SHIFT Framework)

Here's the systematic process I see experts who consistently solve non-obvious problems using:

S - See the Assumed Problem
H - Hunt for Hidden Assumptions
I - Import Patterns from Elsewhere
F - Flip the Perspective
T - Test the Reframed Problem

Let’s get it…

S - See the Assumed Problem

When someone brings you a problem, they've already framed it a certain way.

"How do we increase conversion?"
"How do we reduce attrition?"
"How do we get more engagement?"

Those framings assume the problem is about increasing, reducing, getting more.

But what if that's not actually the problem?

Before solving the stated problem, ask: "What problem are we actually trying to solve?"

Often, the stated problem is a symptom. The actual problem is something else.

• Stated problem: "How do we get more referrals?"

  • Actual problem after reframing: "Why aren't people talking about us?" (Different answers emerge)

• Stated problem: "How do we launch faster?"

  • Actual problem after reframing: "Why are we trying to launch everything at once?" (Changes the approach entirely)

You're not accepting the standard framing. You're deliberately looking for a different way to see the situation.

That's not brainstorming. That's systematic reframing.

You do this in your domain all the time.

Someone says, "This isn't working," and you ask, "What exactly isn't working?" That's reframing. Apply it to strategic problems too.

H - Hunt for Hidden Assumptions

Every problem has assumptions embedded in it. Most are invisible because everyone treats them as obviously true.

"We need to add more features."
"Faster is better."
"Price is the main consideration."
"Our competitors are doing it this way."

What if one of those assumptions is wrong in your specific context?

Write down everything you're assuming is true. Then pick one and ask: "What if this isn't true here?"

Not "what if we ignore this?" but "what if this specific assumption doesn't hold in our situation?"

For example:

• Hidden assumption: "We need more features to compete."

  • Challenge: "What if more features is actually why we're losing customers?" (Suddenly you're looking at simplification instead of addition)

• Hidden assumption: "We need to be on every platform."

  • Challenge: "What if being excellent on one platform is more valuable than being mediocre everywhere?" (Changes resource allocation entirely)

You're surfacing constraints that everyone's treating as fixed, then questioning whether they're actually constraints.

That's not wild ideation. That's disciplined examination of your problem space.

In your domain, you know which "rules" are real constraints and which are just conventions. Apply that same discernment to strategic problems.

I - Import Patterns from Elsewhere

Most "new" solutions aren't actually new. They're patterns from somewhere else applied to your context.

The challenge is recognizing patterns in one domain that could apply to yours.

When you're stuck, ask: "Where else have I seen a similar pattern, even in a completely different context?"

Not "what's the answer?" but "where have I seen this kind of challenge solved?"

For example:

Your problem: Onboarding feels overwhelming to new people.

• Pattern from elsewhere: Your gym breaks onboarding into tiny, sequenced wins. Day one is just showing up. Day two is learning one exercise. Day three...

• Transfer: What if you broke onboarding into sequenced small wins instead of overwhelming them with everything?

Your problem: Hard to maintain quality as you scale.

• Pattern from elsewhere: Restaurants use prep work before service. Everything's prepped so service can be excellent.

• Transfer: What if you separated prep work from delivery so quality doesn't degrade with volume?

You're seeing abstract patterns across concrete situations. That's pattern recognition—a systematic skill, not random inspiration.

You already do this within your domain. You see patterns across different projects or clients. Now look for patterns across completely different industries or contexts.

F - Flip the Perspective

You're seeing the problem from your perspective. Naturally. That's your vantage point.

But your perspective is partial. Others see things you don't.

Deliberately look at your situation from someone else's perspective. Not as empathy exercise. As information gathering.

Ask: "How would [specific person] describe this problem?"

What this looks like:

• Your view: "We need people to engage more with our content."

• Their view (if you actually asked): "I'm overwhelmed. I can't process more content. I need less but more actionable."

Completely different problem emerges.

• Your view: "We need to close faster."

• Customer's view: "I need more time to evaluate. The pressure to decide quickly makes me trust you less."

Suddenly you're solving a different problem.

You're systematically gathering information you couldn't see from your original vantage point. That reveals solutions that weren't visible before.

You know how to gather data in your domain. This is the same skill—gathering perspective data to inform your strategic decisions.

T - Test the Reframed Problem

You've reframed the problem. Challenged assumptions. Imported patterns. Shifted perspective.

Now test whether your reframe is actually better than the original framing.

Ask: "If this reframe is right, what would I expect to see? What would be different?"

Then look for evidence.

For example:

• Reframed problem: "People aren't talking about us because our results aren't visible to their peers."

  • Test: Talk to three people who did refer. Ask what made them willing to talk about us. Is visibility actually the issue?

• Reframed problem: "We're launching slow because we're trying to perfect everything."

  • Test: Look at the last launch. What actually caused the delay—perfection or something else?

Creative thinking that doesn't connect to reality is just theater. Testing brings it back to useful.

This is exactly what you do with technical hypotheses. Apply the same rigor to your strategic reframes.

POLL

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The Bottom Line

You're not bad at creative thinking. You've just been confusing creative thinking with brainstorming theater.

Real creative thinking is systematic: reframe problems, challenge assumptions, import patterns, shift perspectives, and test your reframes.

That's not innate talent. That's a learnable process.

And experts who solve non-obvious problems consistently aren't more creative. They're simply more systematic about doing what you probably already do occasionally.

Stop waiting for inspiration. Start using process.

Thanks for reading. Be easy!
Girvin