Imagination as a Muscle- Part 1
Breaking free of our Unthinking Habits
Failure of Imagination
In 2006, on a visit to the Kennedy Space Center, the Space Launch Facility adjacent to Cape Canaveral, Florida, NASA's Vision at the entrance caught my Imagination.
To improve life here, To extend life to there, To find life beyond.
The vision was inspiring, like the rest of the space centre with the massive launch pads and the memorial to Kalpana Chawla, who died in the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle explosion.
However, few of us know that NASA's spectacular success in the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, landing the first man on the moon and all subsequent missions, is based on the foundation of a terrible tragedy.
The Apollo 1 tragedy, on January 27, 1967, involved a fatal cabin fire during a pre-flight test, killing astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee. Caused by electrical issues in a pure oxygen environment, it led to significant safety overhauls in space missions.'
The men who died in the accident were three of NASA's best and brightest.
Grissom's brother, Lowell, still remembers the phone call from his father that day.
It was a total shock because we never expected anything to happen on the ground, he said. "You kind of prepare yourself for something like that happening in space.
As William H. Gerstenmaier, NASA's then-associate administrator for space operations, said, "We couldn't imagine a simple ground test on the pad being that catastrophic.
As former astronaut Frank Borman said, "We had a failure in Imagination. A failure to comprehend the potential of the situation."
Unfortunately for NASA, there were repeated failures of Imagination - the Challenger disaster of 1986 and the Columbia Shuttle disaster of 2003.
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 resulted in the death of all seven crew members. The Rogers Commission Report stated that NASA's engineers and managers had failed to fully comprehend and address the risks associated with the solid rocket booster O-rings in cold temperatures. The report pointed to a "failure of imagination" on their part.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board criticised NASA for not considering the possibility of foam insulation breaking off during launch, resulting in the loss of the spacecraft and its crew during re-entry.
We use "failure of imagination" in various contexts to describe a situation where individuals or groups cannot foresee or plan for unexpected events or scenarios due to a lack of creativity, foresight, or open-minded thinking.
As an executive coach, it's deeper than that. It's a pattern of behaviour, an unintended consequence of pursuing performance and efficiency.
I see this pattern of behaviour in the leaders that I coach. There is a single-minded focus on the goal, a convergence of thinking that leaves little room to take a step back and think about different paths.
They are floundering not because of the gaps in skills, knowledge or lack of drive but because they fail to imagine.
Lever of Imagination
There may be nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns.' Octavia Butler
When leaders are stuck, I often encourage them to shift their perspectives through the lens of Imagination. It's a powerful tool, often overlooked, yet critical for breakthroughs.
Conventional thinking patterns frequently bog down leaders, and they flounder.
Ajay is the CEO of a subsidiary of an East European multinational manufacturing advanced heat treatment equipment for various industries. Ajay's customers are primarily family-owned businesses upgrading their factories with this equipment, and most of the owners were willing to invest massive amounts to stay competitive.
His challenge is to bring on board key managers in the parent company responsible for supporting the design and delivery of this equipment from Europe. They are wary, fearful that their jobs might be at stake at some point down the line if the Indian subsidiary becomes independent of them, as it happened to some of them when the Chinese subsidiary grew faster than the parent company.
He was frustrated that his efforts to build relationships were not working. He kept everyone in the loop and did not offend anyone. He shielded his team as best as he could, but the stress of these efforts was taking a toll.
When I asked him, "What's holding you back?" or "What could you have done differently?" Ajay told me he tried everything; he tried to communicate more often and keep it formal, but he was frustrated as nothing seemed to work.
His team needed to meet the delivery deadlines- these were growing organisations with a potential for large repeat orders.
I asked him,
"Can you step back and imagine what you could do that you haven't thought of yet?"
This question nudged him from his thoughts, and he said, 'Do you mean I am missing something?'- his mind was now open to looking at alternatives.
So I challenged him again, 'Are you stuck because you needed to communicate or engage?
The question made him pause and reflect, and he realised that his problem was that he was building minimal relationships. The more he communicated, the worse things got.
Engagement opened his eyes to many possibilities for building a relationship, and he realised how different engagement was from communication.
His Imagination went on overdrive.
He got his team together, and when he explained the change in approach, they were as excited as he was.
They devised a brilliant engagement plan around Diwali, the festival of lights, that created a significant impact. The CEO wrote back on how he appreciated the efforts, and the managers in the parent company are now good friends and far more willing to support the team in India.
Reframing the problem helped Ajay address his dilemma and realise that the barrier was not his capabilities but his inability to envision a different path or solution. It's about recognising that his limits are likely self-imposed by a lack of imaginative thinking.
In a constantly changing world, the ability to imagine – to see beyond the present circumstances, envision what could be, and turn those visions into reality – distinguishes exceptional leaders from the rest.
We will not be afraid to imagine if we spend time developing our imagination muscles.
Imagination Muscle
'Do one thing every day that scares you. Those small things that make us uncomfortable help us build courage to do the work we do.' Eleanor Roosevelt
In his beautifully written book 'The Imagination Muscle', Albert Read likens Imagination to a muscle in the mind or soul. We can develop this dynamic force through practice and engagement. Unlike a fixed organ, it's malleable, growing stronger with use and adaptable to individual experiences.
It's a muscle that, when exercised, provides the strength to aid in visualising possibilities, testing ideas, and fostering empathy.
This imaginative 'muscle' is crucial for challenging the status quo, connecting disparate ideas, and envisioning alternative realities. According to Albert, It's a source of liberation and inspiration, linking today's known possibilities with tomorrow's unknown possibilities.
This flexible muscle gains strength and endurance through regular use; although it can feel uncomfortable initially, it becomes supple with rhythmic action. The shape and size of this imaginative muscle are unique to the individual, with everyone embarking on their creative journey.
In the book, he turns to geniuses like Leonardo Da Vinci, Turner, Wordsworth and Dyson for their imaginative prowess – artists, poets, scientists, entrepreneurs, and non-conformists –to provide clues to the existence of this muscle.
He describes how to build this muscle and nurture our imaginative capacities. We can strengthen our imaginative muscle by observing the world, embracing risk, bridging disciplines, fostering connections, and reconnecting with nature.
In the second part of the post, I will discuss a practical theory of imagination- yes, it exists- and how to build your imagination muscle using the framework.