They are the basis for how we think, make choices and interact with people. In the case of enterprise, they can dictate what type of business you start. If we fail to pay attention to our patterns, our brains will seek to solve the same problems over and over again. This is the reason we often see ourselves working for a sequence of bosses or investing in a string of failed businesses. Until we recognise the patterns, we will continue to make the same mistakes and generate the same problems.
Case study
One of our clients, a former analyst, spoke to us while in the process of setting up a new business. He emphasised how different it was in comparison to other things he had done, but he also mentioned that he had always had a varied career.
We looked at his career – he started as a carpenter, then moved to analysing numbers and financial structures, then started a business creating a service for blue-collar workers to find jobs. We discovered two patterns. The first was that he was inclined to do things with a long-lasting impact; the second was that he liked creating systems.
Even in carpentry he followed a system in order to achieve a creation. Once we learned his patterns, we were able to understand how to help him break them as well as use them to hone his intuitive skills.
Relativity to business
Good problem-solving skills are the core of any great business. Ideas for solutions start with a person‚ their brain. How healthy and original an idea is depends on that person‚ their patterns. For instance, patterns are bad if we want to innovate and create a new solution, since our brains will try to seek out the shortest route to that solution.
However, if you are looking to solve a problem that needs a quick intuitive decision then relying on patterns is more effective. Let us return to the aforementioned entrepreneur. His intuition was impeccable for strategic decisions. However, when it came to moving the business at a good pace, he would need to get rid of his patterns and move in a less structured and more agile manner.
Observe what patterns you have created in life. If you are a problem-solver, you are most likely the person to whom friends turn for help and you have probably created a service-based business.
Getting rid of patterns
Observe where your patterns arise and what purpose they have served you. As soon as you see the patterned response, ask: "Why?" There will be a reason your brain is giving you that reaction, but ask how yourself: "Can I respond differently? Will a different response serve me better?" If the answer is yes, then move to an unpatterned choice.
It will feel uncomfortable as your brain is creating new neurological pathways. Break patterns in your daily routine, so you are comfortable seeing the world from a different perspective. Take a different route home or embark on an activity you would never normally pursue. Push your brain to do things that feel uncomfortable.
About the Idea Engineering Agency
IEA is an agency focused on innovation and problemsolving. IEA is housed at TheCube, a co-working office space for entrepreneurs in London, UK. Our research and applied extrapolation are based on the areas of psychology, neurology and industrial engineering.
Global Corporate Venturing readers can attend one of our 30-minute one-to-one workshops on breaking patterns during September. Email thecubelondon@gmail.com