How we think shapes what we create

Three webpages. Six contact details. One simple request.

A while ago I was working with a council team on their facilities booking service. Prepping for the project, at first I saw three different webpages, different forms and contact details depending on the venue. I was just trying to book one. "It's an information problem," I thought.

Then we got the project team together, and the perspective shifted. They saw challenges with internal coordination and the booking system. After speaking with customers, we heard something different again. Turns out, they weren't too concerned about the website, they told us about the issues they were having with collecting the keys, paying bonds and finding the lights.

Diverse perspectives are gold. There’s always more happening beneath the surface than we realise. Same service. Three different frames - each revealing a different perspective on the problem and how it could be solved, moving from how we were organising ourselves, to how people actually accessed and used the facility.

The way we see a situation shapes what we focus on, and what we solve. As leaders, the ability to step back and test our perspective is powerful and opens the door to new possibilities. This is pretty well essential for complex problem solving - and making space for creative work, aimed at the right thing.

I've broken down three practical ways to shift the frame that I use all the time ↓

Better decisions start with better thinking.

Creativity thrives when teams see and think about problems in new ways.

When things are straightforward, we know what’s happening and how to respond. But things are increasingly complex: we may know the outcome we need to achieve, but not what to deliver or how to get there – or both.

Sticking with established approaches feels safe but limits us. Complex challenges need a shift, from knowing → exploring

That’s when framing helps

Framing is how we make sense of a situation – the lens we use to understand it and problem solve. The way we frame a situation determines which solutions we can even see. Reframe it, and entirely new approaches may become visible: Buildings being graffitied? Law and order issue. Or unmet need for creative expression? Same situation, but different interpretation and solutions. 

A small shift in perspective can reveal interpretations, and possibilities, that were invisible before. Without awareness of how we're framing a problem, we might default to familiar solutions that don't fit. We risk solving the wrong problem or missing creative possibilities entirely.

Noticing our framing - and being willing to challenge it - unlocks our ability to respond to what's actually in front of us. Reframing helps us step back and explore: what else might be going on here?

Reframing in practice: three ways to shift perspective:

1. Shift the question
‘How can we fix this?’ locks you in. ‘How might we…?’ or ‘What if…?’ opens possibilities.

2. Shift the view
See it through other’s eyes: customers, frontline staff, future stakeholders. What do they see and experience?

3. Shift the zoom
Zoom out for bigger purpose. Zoom in to make it more specific. The right level of focus reveals different perspectives on the situation.

Change the frame, change what’s possible

Reframing helps you see differently. When your thinking feels stuck, take it as a cue to test your perspective. When you see differently, you think differently.

That’s where creativity starts.