Thinking with the Janus head is a very exciting creativity technique. The Janus-like perception of two contradictory statements is beyond logic, but stimulates our creativity all the more.
Louis Pasteur discovered the principle of immunity using chickens that were infected with the cholera virus but did not die – when infected and uninfected chickens became infected with a new virus culture, the previously infected chickens survived and the others died.
To imagine that two contradictory ideas, concepts or images can be correct at the same time is beyond our logic. It concerns a mode of apprehension in which the thinking process transcends ordinary thought.
When you hold two conflicting images opposite each other, your mind moves to a higher level. The temporary suppression of logic allows you an unimagined intelligence that is a pure creative state. Creative people tolerate this state of ambivalence.
Albert Einstein faced exactly such a problem when he wanted to describe the theory of relativity: “How can an object be in motion and at rest at the same time?”.
To consciously bring about this state of conflicting perceptions, convert your challenge into a paradox and then find an analogy that seems useful. Like the head of Janus from Roman mythology, you can make paradoxical statements about business issues.
For example:
– Leading by following
– Profits by means of losses
– Take risks, but be conservative
– Build a cohesive team, but welcome conflict
– Set realistic but challenging goals
– Reward team effort, but create a high-performance climate for individualists