use a different strategy: to make the most extreme statements that they can defend, strategy B. That means moving away from the safety of the “absolutely true” end point. It means moving toward the fuzzy zone in the middle, getting close to that ambiguous edge.

This shift is a discontinuous discovery; it doesn’t naturally evolve from our previous beliefs. One or more of our core beliefs—the beliefs that anchor our understanding—have to be discarded or radically modified, or an additional anchor has to be added to the mix.

Wallas claimed that the flash of illumination results in a feeling of certainty. We aren’t picking an idea that seems better than others. Instead, we’re struck that this is the answer, the happy idea.

Organizations stifle insights because of forces locked deep inside their DNA: they value predictability, they recoil from surprises, and they crave perfection, the absence of errors.

However, some critical thinking advocates seem to go overboard with it. Like any skill, it has boundary conditions; there are times to ease back on it.

Experience isn’t just about having the necessary knowledge. Experience is about how we use our knowledge to tune our attention.

The more random combinations we produce, the greater the burden to screen out the useless ones. Insight involves making a new discovery without having to consider bad ideas.

Recognitional decisions depend on decades of experience to build up hundreds and thousands of patterns.

That means moving away from the safety