We are all defined by our thinking. Our thoughts shape how we perceive the world, how we act, and what we believe is possible. Therefore, a shift in mindset is not just a change in perspective but a change in reality. It is the foundation of all true innovation. Thinking differently is easy to say, but hard to do, because we are basically trying to understand the world based on the patterns we already know.
Changing your glasses
Imagine putting on a pair of glasses with a completely different color filter. Suddenly the world looks different, but everything is still there. It is the same reality, just experienced through a different lens. Shifting your mindset works in the same way. When we start looking at problems and opportunities through a new perspective, we discover new solutions that have always been there, but have been invisible to us.
In the West, we name streets, but in Japan they name neighborhoods. Both systems work, but they are based on different ways of orienting ourselves. In some countries we stand in line with number tags, in others we simply ask who is last. In some cultures we pay the doctor when we are sick, in others when we are healthy, as a way of rewarding preventive health. None of these ways is more right than the other. They just show that there are many ways of thinking, and that the way we see as obvious is only one of many possible.
The counterintuitive as a path to new thinking
Shifting mindset is often about daring to go against what feels natural. In innovation, for example, it is wrong if everything feels right all the time. When we are in our comfort zone, we rarely learn anything new. For something truly new to emerge, we must dare to question our own truths, challenge our habitual ways of thinking and sometimes even make mistakes deliberately.
Wanting to do wrong sounds wrong, but is often the fastest way to learn. Inviting people from different backgrounds may feel uncomfortable, but it increases the chance of finding completely new ideas. Continuing to ask questions even when we already have an answer may feel ineffective, but that is often where the truly groundbreaking insights emerge.
Example: The mindset shift from linear to circular
One of the most concrete examples of a mindset shift in our time is the transition from a linear to a circular economy. In the linear model, we take resources, produce, consume and throw them away. In the circular model, we see resources as something to be constantly reused, shared and recycled. This requires a completely different way of thinking. We must move from optimizing for efficiency to optimizing for feedback, from thinking about product life cycles to system life cycles.
For example, a company that manufactures furniture might start thinking about how materials can be disassembled and recycled instead of how they can be produced most quickly. A city might start seeing waste as a raw material instead of a problem. When we change our mindset, not only the solutions but the entire playing field changes.
When the world changes faster than our thoughts
One of the biggest obstacles to innovation is that we often try to solve new problems with old ways of thinking. We build the future with yesterday’s logic. It’s like trying to navigate a map of a city that has already changed. Those who succeed in real innovation are those who realize that the map needs to be redrawn, not just updated.
Think about how companies like Netflix and Spotify have transformed their industries. They saw the same needs as everyone else, but thought in completely new ways about how value is created. It wasn’t just about technology, it was about mindset.
Training for change
Shifting mindset doesn’t happen through lectures or inspirational quotes. It requires training, just like physical fitness. It’s about consciously exposing yourself to new perspectives, testing new ideas, and reflecting on why you think the way you do.
When a group is working on innovation, it can be valuable to consciously challenge each other’s perspectives. A simple method is to switch roles during discussions. For example, let the person who is usually responsible for finance argue from the customer’s perspective and the person who works with product development take on the role of marketer. By shifting positions, the mindsets also shift.
Difficult but necessary
Shifting mindsets is difficult because it requires us to admit that we can be wrong. It requires humility and courage. But it is also necessary, because the world is changing faster than our habitual thoughts have time to adapt. Those who learn to rethink, to see the habitual in new ways, will be the ones who lead the next wave of innovation and social change.
Move towards systems thinking
It is fundamentally about moving towards systems thinking. From seeing the world from your own perspective to understanding yourself as part of a larger context. When we start thinking in systems rather than in silos, in relationships rather than in achievements, a new kind of creativity arises.
That is when the truly disruptive ideas are born. Not by thinking harder, but by thinking differently. When we change our thinking, we change our world.
