Think Bigger - Core Principle in the WLC

 There are 5 core principles in the Women Leaders Community. The third is "Think Bigger".

There were a few times I was extremely stressed from work. Once, it was due to a workaholic leader; another time, it was a leader who didn’t keep their word; yet another time, it was a leader who didn’t understand my field and kept asking for the wrong things. Sometimes, it was because of politics, lies, and betrayals that made me feel like I was in a movie.

Early Challenges

The earlier times were more stressful because my options were limited to finding a new job either within the same company or elsewhere. Either way, it took a lot of effort, time, and luck. I felt like I had to endure the situation until I found a different job. I didn’t know when that might happen and felt like I might be stuck forever. Quitting wasn't an option.

Then my husband said, "You know you can just quit. You can look for another job afterward. We can survive it."

Once I heard that, it made sense. But the thought had never occurred to me before. Suddenly, I felt better. "In the worst case, I can quit, even if I don’t have another job." Now enduring the stress was less hard, knowing I had the option to quit if things got too bad.

In the end, I never quit without having another job lined up. Just having another option made a huge difference.

Think Bigger

Thinking bigger is similar. It’s not about being ambitious or wanting bigger things, but about having more options. You may or may not end up using those options, but having them can help you get through tough times. Here are ways to think bigger.

1. Be Thorough in Your Options

As a data scientist, we often deal with legacy databases. Sometimes, trying to clean and improve them makes our work more efficient. But sometimes, the tables and processes are so intertwined and messy that it’s easier and faster to recreate all databases from scratch.

Creating all databases from scratch sounds more daunting than improving and cleaning up, but having that option can make the problem simpler.

2. Question Everything

Be thorough in considering all options. You might think some options are impossible and not even consider them. In my example, the option of just quitting didn’t occur to me. If I had sat down and written all the options, I might have thought of it. When we don’t think thoroughly, our brains only present what seems "possible," filtering out some options as not good. Don’t accept what your brain throws at you; be thorough and have a structured way of considering all options.

Question all assumptions. Why is it impossible? What if it’s possible?

Continuing from the example, the biggest fear of quitting is usually money. I was in that boat, and I see many people experiencing the same. "I don’t have the money to do that." When I ask, "How much money do you need? Do you have that money in savings?" the answer is often yes, they technically have that money. But the idea of losing income for a while or seeing their savings decrease is too scary. It’s the fear itself, not the actual financial situation, that blinds them to see things clearly. Question everything. Question obvious things. Imagine you are an alien just landed on earth, curious about everything, not knowing any customs or common sense. Question everything.

3. Be Creative

Expose yourself to something unfamiliar so your brain, the natural neural network, has an opportunity to connect neurons that don’t usually get connected. That’s where creative ideas come from.

There are many indirect and slow ways to inspire creativity, like traveling to new places, visiting museums, reading books outside your usual genre, or learning a new instrument or language. However, these methods are slow and may not help with immediate problems.

When you feel stuck with a specific problem, pick a random keyword, something out of the blue, and try to brainstorm with that theme.

For example, the keyword could be "dragon" (or "fairy" or "Antarctica"). Brainstorm about the stressful work situation with "dragon." What does a dragon do when stressed? They blow fire. What is my fire? What can I blow at them? Ideas like that.

This method only works if you take it seriously and really brainstorm.

4. Do Scary Things

As an extension of being creative, put yourself into uncomfortable situations. It’s your experiment, and you know you’re safe because it’s your experiment.

Last year, I realized I not only avoided talking to strangers but also had a fear of it. When I thought of talking to a stranger, I got scared. My brain tried to convince me it was stupid: "What good would come of it? What’s the point?" So, I decided to talk to strangers.

I asked a lady mountain biker if anyone could do trail biking if they knew how to ride a bike or if special training was needed. The lady seemed annoyed by such a stupid question, mumbled something about joining a club to learn, and walked away. It could be considered a failure, but it didn’t bother me much. It was my experiment to see how she’d respond, and I collected my answer and accomplished my mission. It was a success. I continued to do similar things for a week.

Doing scary things doesn’t mean you have to bungee jump or skydive. It could be small scary things.

Conclusion

Thinking bigger isn’t about wanting bigger things but having more options. By being thorough, questioning everything, being creative, and doing scary things, you can navigate tough times and find new paths. What's one thing you will think bigger?