What I’ve learned from working with geniuses

I had the good fortune of, throughout my working life, having the opportunity of working with my fair share of geniuses.

Mind you, these were not smart people. They were proper geniuses, that didn’t think in steps but rather in giant leaps, that not only connected all the dots but came up with dots that weren’t there in the first place.

My experience with them allowed me to discern a pattern.

Clever people, when faced with a problem, proceed to find the best-known solution for that problem and implement it.

Intelligent people solve problems in novel and creative ways.

Geniuses redefine the problem.

They research the problem in-depth, its causes, consequences, connections to other entities. They experiment with different definitions and approaches, often bringing views from other fields of expertise.

And, more often than not, come up with a new description of the problem that allows whole new solution spaces that were not before available.

As an example, while most artists in the Renaissance were trying to improve their drawings of humans by repeatedly practising with live models, Leonardo Da Vinci decided to approach the problem by dissecting dead bodies and learning what were the underlying body structures, and how these worked together to create a description of the human anatomy. His work inspired generations not only of artists but also medical doctors of the time.

I have tried this approach in my work and personal life. Even lacking the extreme capability of some of these individuals, the difference is starking.

Give it a try! It will change your life.