Widen Your Interests To Become A Better Strategic Problem Solver

Edward Boches, Chief Innovation Officer at Mullen, has five great suggestions for creative strategists he recently shared at a class called ‘Curiosity for Strategists’ at the University of Oregon. Specifically, while exploring strategic thinking in advertising from a broader perspective, Boches says that a good strategic planner should be ready to dissect a great idea from the past to understand why it worked. He also suggests that creative strategists look beyond the advertising realm for inspiration and learn from experts in other fields.

A few pieces of advice from Boches:

Observe human from different angles

This is the obvious one, so I don’t really need to talk about it.  But the one suggestion I will offer is this: it’s no longer only about relationships to brands and categories; it’s also about relationships to content, technology, media and most of all, community. So understand the latter as well as the former.  Then start with your customer and what she needs, not your brand and what it wants. Even when it comes to advertising.

Find Unexpected Sources and Look Below The Surface

Teachers are everywhere. Listen to Miles [Davis] and you learn much of what you need to know about collaboration:  a leader has to keep everything focused on the ultimate goal; learn to get out of the way; surround himself with young talent; let other people shine.  From Atul Gawande, the brilliant surgeon, you can re-think how you get people to change behavior, overcome old habits, and cast aside the blind deferral we sometimes bestow on a single “creative director” who may not always have the right answer.

Edward Boches: “Five suggestions for creative strategists”