One degree of freedom removed from the status quo is what most people, even if they can’t do, can imagine. And because they can imagine it—”I could have come up with that idea myself”—what you have doesn’t feel innovative. They may ask you “why” once, but they’ll get to the answer they expect to hear pretty quickly.
Starting at two degrees of freedom removed, you start at the imagination’s imagination. The fringe of the fringe, so to speak. Then, by most people’s standards, you are creative. Not one standard deviation but two standard deviations from the mean. Which starts putting you in the uncommon 5%.
It’s where the average person starts calling you “built different”. I don’t know if that phrase means anything if it’s overused or used by people who refuse, for whatever reason, to be different themselves. But nevertheless, you are 1 in 20 of their friends who feel like they and their 19 other friends are doing the same thing. If you want to impress insiders and people labeled by others as “built different,” you need to be two more degrees of freedom removed from that. At least 4 degrees of freedom removed from the mean. So instead of “why,” they usually start their line of questioning with “how.” “How did you think of that?”
If you’re taking the ‘perfect’ stat sheet of a hire these days, across different variables (schooling, prior companies, prior job titles, years of experience, extracurriculars, skills, resume template, cover letter template), a normal applicant exudes familiarity across all the above variables. The “required” five years of experience across companies you’ve heard of, but may not be extremely exciting. They go on hikes on the weekends, hang out with friends, watch Netflix. They’re applying for a Director role through the job portal and submitted a cover letter with references, having been a Senior Manager and Manager before that. A hire that’s built different will have all the above, except for two. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder, they started a company and sold it to private equity. They didn’t apply through the job portal, but directly cold emailed the hiring manager delivering a deep dive report on what problems they see in the organization and how to fix them. That’s a hire that’s “built different.” But in the world of exceptionalism when there are hundreds, maybe thousands, who can/have done the same, you need all of the above and more. You built a media business on the side. You also went the unorthodox path of schooling yourself. Self-teaching. You created a podcast to interview people in this field to help you learn. You started more than one business here. And you’ve come via the referral of a board member.
If you’re an artist drawing a horse, the average artist will draw a long muzzle, side-set eyes, a mane, four legs, a tail, a smooth back and maybe a saddle. A innovative artist might instead draw a horse with a long muzzle, a side-set of eyes, a mane, four legs, a tail, but instead of a smooth back, draws with the armor of an armadillo. A creative artist will take all of the above, and change the legs to octopus arms and the tail into a skeletal one with a barbed one that ends with a flower. At some point, as you iterate more, it stops looking like a horse, and something else entirely.
I find this to be useful exercise in all areas that require imagination or in industries where there are incentives to be different. Craftsmanship and art being more obvious examples. Startups fundraising. VC funds fundraising. Saturation of the job market, especially with hires in AI requiring deep domain expertise and/or different perspectives. Football plays in overtime and you have the ball. Cold emails to busy people.
Of course, there are industries or moments where it pays to be the same. Where a large amount of trust is involved. Where the risk of something adventurous or out of scope could be catastrophic (to lives, to reputation, or to income/revenue). Where you only have so much wiggle room before you are alienated. Political campaigns. Kids asking for money from your parents to buy “groceries.” Neurosurgeons. Flying a plane with passengers (unless this is a Red Bull campaign). Choosing your safety gear when going free climbing.
But I dare say most could use some creativity.
Photo by Matthieu Brajon on Unsplash
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The views expressed on this blogpost are for informational purposes only. None of the views expressed herein constitute legal, investment, business, or tax advice. Any allusions or references to funds or companies are for illustrative purposes only, and should not be relied upon as investment recommendations. Consult a professional investment advisor prior to making any investment decisions.
