Have you heard of expert blindness?
That’s what researchers say we risk having when we walk into a situation, sure that we already know all the answers.
Because we live in an era of specialization, we often feel we have to focus exclusively on what we’re best at and only develop our area of specialty. But then when we become experts, we usually try to make everything fit in line with what we know.
As experts, we don’t feel comfortable saying, “I don’t know.” The ego in us all doesn’t like info that may contradict our expertise – that makes us feel threatened. We don’t want to look bad, even if only to ourselves. So instead, we tend to look at any problem only through our expert eyes, not fresh eyes.
How can we avoid expert blindness and get out of a rut?
By encouraging ourselves to be beginners all over again.
And the way to do that is to step far outside our zone of expertise. We know that if we immerse ourselves in the unfamiliar, we prompt neuroplasticity. Our brain will be forced to create new pathways, leading to new, more flexible thinking. The pay off with beginner’s mind is huge.
Being a beginner prevents us from defaulting to an overactive pattern recognition. It gives us a boost of creativity which serves us well even when we return to our own area of expertise.
The key is to be an explorer, not an expert.
The best creative thinkers identify as explorers. That is, they’re passionate about gaining new knowledge. The best creative thinking requires an expertise …in learning.
Ready to learn more about yourself?
