How Do You Get Credit for an Idea?

Earlier this summer when I identified what a “meta-problem” was, I became convinced that I had finally cracked the code on talking about problems. It was such a small but powerful change in perspective. As I began sharing the term and idea with people I got validation. People who already saw the world that way would hardly let me finish sharing the idea before they were applying it to their own experience. It was exactly what I had been working towards.

Except, with such a simple summary I began to wonder how I could both share my ideas with the world and get credit for them. On the one hand, I have written on-and-off about problem solving for over a decade because I was seeking some fundamental truth, and I had finally found it. On the other hand, the ideas seemed so obvious in hindsight. I figured that it would not be hard for someone with more influence than me to take those same ideas and sell them faster than I could.

Fortunately for me, I had some time to think about it. After a couple months someone suggested that it would be helpful if I had a place to point people to learn more. $30 for the domain (plus more for hosting) and I have a website that solved my worries.

Unfortunately for both me and most people who want credit for an idea, it is not usually that easy. For one, oftentimes you are sharing your ideas in a meeting where there are many quirks to getting heard and associated with your contribution. Another challenge to being recognized can come from who hears the idea direct from the source versus second hand.

The issue I wanted to highlight most in this post though is the way a new perspective can completely change how you see things. The image I chose for this post is one of several famous optical illusions where you can see the image in multiple ways. Is it a duck, or a rabbit? (or the more trendy, what color was the dress?) I found it fun as a child to teach my brain to flip back and forth between the two perspectives. With picture illusions it is doable. The image is the same, so you know that if you just shift your focus in the right way, the other image will appear.

With ideas it can be much more difficult. Think of some experience you had where you saw the world differently after going through it. Can you still put yourself into your pre-event shoes and see things the way you used to? When I try that exercise, I may remember the old perspective… But they feel 2-dimensional compared to the way I see things now.

In the case where you know you used to think differently, you could at least theoretically give credit to whoever or whatever changed your mind. In my work though, it is often more subtle. Someone sees the problem one way, and I offer a reframed version of the problem. If the new version is better, it can be hard to even remember how you used to see things. I have run into this on a couple manufacturing-related projects recently. Working through the project has had some tangible benefits. But the bigger benefits came from seeing the process more clearly and making changes to how it operates. The loose connection from idea to change makes it harder to attribute to the project (and my support).

To teach the power of problem framing, we sometimes use examples that are much like the duck-rabbit image. Is the elevator too slow, or is the wait too boring? We see how both are valid, and how our possible solutions shift based on which framing we are using. If only one of the two ideas makes sense when you see them side-by-side, that opportunity to practice our problem-perspective vanishes.

Do you have a favorite illusion that helps you see things differently?