Creative Thinking Advantages as a Business Super Power of AI
Imagine a world not too far in the future, where every question and every task can be answered in seconds by simply asking a super-intelligent AI. In this world, business owners, entrepreneurs, and students no longer need to memorize plans, formulas or facts; they no longer spend hours trying to solve problems that have been solved a million times before. Instead, they are faced with a new challenge: understanding the solutions that the AI provides and deciding how to apply them. This is the world that Professor and Business Coach Ethan, is preparing his business students for.
Ethan has always believed that the essence of learning isn’t about getting the right answer but about the process of discovering that answer. He knows that in this future world, everyone will need to become experts not just at solving problems but at understanding and grading the answers provided by AI. It’s a shift from “How do I solve this?” to “How do I know if this solution is correct, and how can I improve it?”
One day, Ethan was mentoring a group of aspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs. To kick off the session, he handed each of them a small, locked box and a single, seemingly ordinary key. “Your task,” he said, “is to unlock this box using the key I’ve given you. How would you do it?”
The entrepreneurs immediately began examining the boxes, trying to fit the key into the lock. They twisted and turned it, but no matter what they tried, the key wouldn’t budge. Frustration quickly set in. “This key doesn’t fit! It’s impossible to open the box with it,” one entrepreneur finally declared.
Ethan smiled, sensing the teachable moment. “What if I told you the key wasn’t meant to fit into the lock at all?” He then showed them the solution: he flipped the box over, revealing a hidden panel on the bottom that could be slid open easily, no key required. The box wasn’t locked in the traditional sense; the key was simply a decoy.
The entrepreneurs were stunned. “This exercise,” Ethan explained, “is a reminder that in business, solutions often aren’t what they seem at first glance. The key to solving a problem might not lie in the most obvious approach. Instead, it’s about being open to different perspectives and recognizing that sometimes, the answers are hidden in plain sight, waiting to be discovered.”
The lesson resonated: in business, true innovation often requires looking beyond the obvious and embracing the unexpected.
This is the lesson Ethan is passionate about teaching. In the age of AI, it’s not enough to simply know how to do the work. Anyone can ask the AI for an answer. What matters is being able to understand that answer, critique it, and even improve upon it. The role of the human is shifting from being a problem-solver to being a problem-definer and solution-refiner.
In his own childhood, Ethan loved math competitions, not because he wanted to win trophies, but because every new problem was an opportunity to stretch his mental muscles. He knew that each problem was different, requiring a fresh approach and a unique solution. But over the years, he watched as the focus shifted. An entire industry grew around test preparation, where students were drilled with every possible question that might appear on a test. The goal became to avoid surprises, to ensure that students had seen every possible variation of a problem before the exam. While this might produce higher test scores, Ethan knew it was stifling creativity and robbing students of the chance to invent.
Ethan aimed to transform business coaching by teaching how to think more critically rather than just memorizing answers. He experimented with various methods to make learning engaging and accessible and found that the principles of improv—quick thinking, adaptability, and collaboration—became central to this learning which created dynamic and interactive experiences where business students learned to think on their feet. By focusing on these skills, it encouraged independent thinking and creativity, helping students develop the mental flexibility needed to navigate complex challenges.
Today, Ethan continues to spread his message, urging everyone alike to embrace this new way of learning. In a world where AI can solve almost any problem, the true value of education lies not in the answers, but in the questions we ask and the ways we think about the world.
Ethan’s story is a reminder that the future belongs not to those who can memorize the most facts or solve the most problems, but to those who can think critically, creatively, and independently. And as the world moves into the age of AI, this ability to think will be more valuable than ever.
Inspiration from Po-Shen Loh and the Entrepreneurship_Opportunities channel. Check it out from great content.
Imagine a world not too far in the future, where every question and every task can be answered in seconds by simply asking a super-intelligent AI. In this world, business owners, entrepreneurs, and students no longer need to memorize plans, formulas or facts; they no longer spend hours trying to solve problems that have been…