Dinosaurs got nothing on us

Cognitive flexibility, as defined by the national psychological association, is the capacity for objective appraisal and appropriately flexible action.

This trait implies adaptability. You’re able to shift your thinking and attention between different tasks or operations, typically in response to a change in demands.

And it’s crucial to success in virtually all areas of life. Even if it’s not a sexy skill to lead with on your resume or dating profile, it’s both valuable to you and appreciated by others.

Recently I was reading something called the cognitive flexibility scale. It’s a psychological measurement tool used to assess this useful trait. And the one bullet point that caught my attention was this.

I find workable solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.

Is that you? Are you the kind of person who initiates clever hacks for challenging situations?

Bootstrapped startups are filled with these people. Since these companies are small and nimble and don’t rely on outside capital, they have no other choice. They find workable solutions.

My mentor used to have a mantra at his startup. Anytime a client called with a seemingly unsolvable issue, his staff would say, great, that’s my favorite problem! Even if it wasn’t. Even if the client was an unsophisticated, belligerent, impatient asshole, employees would still respond to them with, that’s my favorite problem. I always appreciated that mindset.

The reframe shifted their client’s situation from a burden to carry and lament, to a game to play and win. My mentor said that each time he walked around the office and heard someone say those four words to a client on the phone, he gave that employee a dollar. Because it fostered a culture where creative problem solving was welcomed. There was no such thing as an unworkable challenge at their company.

Cognitive flexibility was the order of the day. Everyone who worked at the organization had a high level of trust, in themselves, in the process, in each other, in the universe, the combination of which helped them move things forward.

Because if you really think about it, unsolvable is quite the bold statement. I mean, shit, smallpox and polio were viewed as unsolvable. So was human genome sequencing. What about landing on the moon?

Unless you’re one of those wacko conspiracy theorist who believes the moon is an armored spacecraft disguised as a solar body used by extraterrestrials who monitor humans from above, it’s safe to say humans are pretty good at doing the impossible.

Our track record speaks for itself.

If we didn’t have at least some degree of cognitive flexibility in our genes, we never would have evolved over the past two hundred thousand years. Our species ain’t perfect, but it’s nothing if not adaptable.

Dinosaurs got nothing on us.

Are you the kind of person who initiates clever hacks for challenging situations?