WHAT THIS IS

This guide introduces the parallels technique. A creative and strategic thinking tool used to spark fresh ideas and insights by exploring how others approach similar challenges in different contexts.

It’s inspired by Be More Strategic, Chapter 6: Be (More) Imaginative, Be a Creative, where Charlie encourages us to look beyond our own walls and learn from unexpected sources.

“The best ideas often come from worlds far from our own. Parallels help us see our challenges through new eyes.”

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WHY IT MATTERS

When you’re stuck in a familiar environment, you tend to recycle the same patterns of thinking.

Exploring parallels helps you:

• Break habitual thinking and assumptions

• Find inspiration from sectors that have solved similar issues differently

• Discover transferable insights and creative approaches

• Reframe problems through fresh perspectives

By stepping outside your normal frame of reference — into the world of Lego, Disney, or the police — you widen your lens, and with it, your imagination.

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HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

You can do this alone or as a team exercise.

Start with a specific challenge or opportunity you’re exploring, something that feels stuck, complex, or in need of new energy.

Then choose 6–8 “parallel worlds” to visit mentally, physically, or virtually.

These can include organisations, industries, professions, or systems that do something differently or exceptionally well.