Fresh Eyes

How To Keep 'Em

Nancy Jones, one of this blog’s most celebrated readers, is about to take up new responsibilities in her company. As a newcomer to the role, she’ll have “fresh eyes.” She’ll see things that others have become habituated to. She’s wondering how to maintain her fresh eyes over time. Here are some tips that I’ve used. Nancy (and I) would love to hear your tips as well. Just leave a comment.

1. Keep a Newcomer Notebook.
Write down anything that makes you say, Why do we do it this way? Don’t worry about answering the question yet. Just capture the observation before it becomes invisible. Keep notes for the first three months or so. In fact, I’d suggest that you keep it longer ... perhaps forever.

2. Ask naïve questions—on purpose.
Early in a role, you’re allowed to ask basic questions. Use that permission while you have it. Questions like “What problem was this process originally designed to solve?” can uncover outdated assumptions.

3. Talk to people outside the department.
Fresh insights often come from the edges. Someone in sales, operations, or customer support may see problems your team has stopped noticing.

4. Borrow the eyes of others.
Invite a colleague from another department to review one process with you. Their insights will often highlight things your team takes for granted.

5. Revisit your early notes.
Go back to your newcomer notebook early and often. Things that once looked strange may start to feel normal. That’s a clue: those may be the very places where innovation is hiding.

Fresh eyes are temporary. But curiosity can be permanent, if you treat it like a practice.

The trick is simple: capture your early questions before they disappear. Because the moment something stops looking strange is often the moment you stop noticing it.

(Photo by Michael Morse)

By the way, I’ve been following a new Substack by Tiana called Fragments of Knowing. I tend to be a linear thinker; Tiana seems to be a more Gestalt thinker — she sees the whole pattern at once. These are two very different methods of ideation. You might check her out at https://substack.com/@tianaalchemind.