One time when I was a kid I had a bicycle tire that kept losing air. I couldn’t get more than a mile before I had a flat, so I asked my dad about getting a new tire. Instead, he suggested I patch the one I had, but I didn’t know where the problem was. The leak was slow and there was no way to tell where it was, or so I thought.
My dad took the tire over to the little kiddie pool my sister had and held it underwater while he squeezed it. Sure enough, a tiny but visible line of bubbles rose from one spot in the tire. Once the leak was found, it was easy to patch, and I rode my bike without problems the rest of the summer.
Okay, so something isn’t working about your current whatever – your business, your sales process, your daily life. You may not need a complete overhaul if you can find the part that’s leaking. So do what my dad did – put it in a different environment.
In the open air, an air leak is hard to see. Underwater it’s clear as day. You’ve been living inside that process for however long, so it’s become air to you. Someone else who’s never encountered it might be like water. Run something new through the system.
Those weird little tests can tell you a lot. If nothing else, they’re great creativity spurs – put your mind underwater and see what bubbles out.
The Opportunity Machine 