Embrace the Paradox

Acclaimed breakthrough problem-solver and author of “Creative Thinkering,” Michael Michalko, said “paradoxical” thinking is the hallmark of creating thinking.

For example:

• Lead by following;
• Win by losing;
• Take risk but be conservative;
• Seek diversity, but build a shared vision;
• Encourage creativity but be practical;
• Build a cohesive team but also welcome conflict;
• Set realistic yet challenging goals; and
• Reward team effort but create a high-performance climate for individuals.

Paradoxical thinking, according to Michalko, involves creating a paradox or contradiction by conceiving two opposing ideas as being currently true. He gives the example of imagining the image of a penguin and rabbit existing in the same space as a visual contradiction.³

“Imagining two opposites or contradictory ideas, concepts, or images existing simultaneously is beyond logic,” Michalko writes. “It is a type of conceptualizing in which the thinking processes transcend ordinary logical thinking. If you hold two opposites together, your mind moves to a new level. The suspension of thought allows an intelligence beyond thought to act and create a new form. The swirling of opposites creates the conditions for a new point of view to bubble free from your mind.”

Because we live in a world that thinks in terms of cause and effect, paradoxes tend to make people feel ambivalent and uncertain. But that ambivalence is important, Michalko explains, because it changes the way we feel and see and makes possible a different thought process. As a result, we can gain a better understanding, arrive at a different insight, or discover a breakthrough idea.