Rejecting the Premise: The Key to Changing the World
In order to truly change the world, one must first reject the premise of how things currently are. Accepting the status quo and blindly following the path laid out before us is not the way to achieve greatness. The key to creating a new and different future is to reject the past and start thinking strategically about what could be.
Many entrepreneurs, investors, executives, academics, and strategists fall into the trap of basing their thinking on the past. Harvard Business School students, for example, read hundreds of case studies about the past during their two years of study. Most management consulting firms focus on analyzing what worked in the past, and academics can only publish research after extensive study of historical data. But this approach is not an accurate or effective definition of truly strategic thinking.
Every generation looks back at the past and wonders how previous generations could have believed certain things. But we must remember that future generations will likely look back at us in the same way. If we want to achieve exponential outcomes, we must be strategic and forward-thinking, and reject the premise of how things currently are.
The greatest entrepreneurs, inventors, business leaders, creators, and artists of all time did not start their journey by accepting the premise. They rejected it and created something new and different. Airbnb, for example, was initially rejected by the hotel industry, who called them “illegal hotels” because their point of view changed the premise of what a hotel could be. Similarly, Picasso’s Cubism rejected the traditional game of Impressionism and revolutionized the art world. And Cirque du Soleil’s founders had a vision of creating a new type of performative, acrobatic, animal-free theater, not just starting a better circus.
The vast majority of people accept the premise and aim to make the way things are “better” or “incrementally different.” They unconsciously establish a point of view and everything that follows is based on that perspective. But true greatness is achieved by those who reject the premise and consider what could be true.
In 2008, the idea of Airbnb made no sense when evaluated through traditional mental models. Most venture capitalists rejected the idea, citing concerns about safety and legality. But a small handful of investors, including Sequoia Capital, had the mental awareness to ask a different question: “What would need to be true for this idea to work?” By considering what could be true, they realized that the idea of Airbnb had the potential to revolutionize the hospitality industry.
The art of the possible is the process of considering what could be true. By rejecting the premise and asking what new mental models would need to be invented for something to work, we open ourselves up to the possibility of new and different outcomes. It’s time to stop accepting the way things are and start thinking about the way they could be. Only then can we truly change the world.
About the author: Shane Allen is an accomplished entrepreneur and marketer currently serving as the Director of Marketing at PickNik, a company that specializes in developing software for robotics both on Earth and in space. With a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and a background in mechanical engineering and business, Shane brings a unique perspective to his role as a marketer.
He has successfully raised six large rounds of investment for his inventions as a CEO, has multiple patents to his name, and won multiple pitching events worldwide. His expertise in both marketing and product design has helped him to create innovative campaigns that drive growth and results for the teams he’s involved with.
When he’s not working, Shane can either be found exploring the beautiful trails and mountains of Boulder, CO with his golden retriever Bandit or at home messing up his floors painting weird things on canvas. He is also an active member of the local startup community and is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs achieve success.
