20 strategies to address today's complex business challenges

Fast Company

21-05-2025

In an era where complex business challenges often defy conventional solutions, leaders must think outside their comfort zones and consider alternative approaches to overcome their business obstacles. By fostering a mindset that embraces ambiguity and encourages experimentation, they can unlock innovative solutions to problems that don't fit the mold.
Here, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members offer insight to help other leaders become more creative in addressing problems that require more than a standard answer.
1. BRAINSTORM WITH BUSINESS LEADERS OUTSIDE OF YOUR TEAM.
Start by engaging business line leaders outside of your team. Unique solutions are often arrived at when folks with different perspectives come together to creatively problem solve something they may be too close to and can't see clearly what could be possible. – Sean Swentek, Omnidian
2. START AT THE END TO DISCOVER A BREAKTHROUGH.
Work backward from 'Wow! What an awesome idea.' You need to stop looking for someone else's blueprint and start trusting your gut. Creative solutions begin when you stop asking, 'What's the usual way?' and start thinking unconventionally about the art of problem solving. Sit in the silence, think deeply, and don't be afraid to throw out the rulebook. That's where the real breakthroughs happen. – Gregory Vetter, Alta Fresh Foods
3. TRY LOW-RISK EXPERIMENTS TO GENERATE BETTER OUTCOMES.
Start with severe constraints—I've seen time and again how this can lead to your most creative solution. That's the power of jugaad (frugal inventiveness). It's a creative approach where you work with what you've got, stay focused on what matters most (to customers, your organization, and teams), and try some small, low-risk experiments to test and learn quickly. In a complex environment, focusing on creativity is a powerful equation. – Simone Ahuja, Blood Orange
4. MAKE EVERYONE FEEL COMFORTABLE ABOUT SHARING THEIR IDEAS.
Creative solutions come from diverse and inclusive teams. Leaders need to be surrounded by people representing different backgrounds, cultures, generations, levels, and expertise. They must create an environment that empowers this diverse talent to speak up to share their perspectives and ideas. Although DEI is under attack, the principles have never been more critical to business success. – Kim Sample, PR Council
5. RETHINK THE WAY YOU'RE USING THE DATA.
Leaders become more creative when they rethink how they use data. Data reveals what's missing and shouldn't just be seen as a way to measure outcomes, but as a means to find better questions. That's where new solutions come from, especially when the problem doesn't have a clear playbook. – Kelsey Morgan, EverFree
6. BE WILLING TO PUSH BEYOND THE STATUS QUO.
By questioning norms and asking, 'What if?' leaders show enthusiasm for unconventional ideas and a willingness to view challenges as opportunities rather than threats. Embracing uncertainty also demonstrates a comfort level with ambiguity, which is required anytime you want to challenge the status quo. Otherwise, it's too easy to prematurely force a familiar framework. – Juan Vallarino, myLaurel
7. ASK STAKEHOLDERS WHAT THEY NEED FROM YOU.
Don't just do something—sit there! Place yourself in the center of a constellation of stakeholders, thinking hard about what each stakeholder needs to hear from you and what could harm your relationship with them. Think especially hard about the latter, because it's often not obvious, and a poorly thought-out decision's downside is often greater than a brilliant decision's upside. – David Meadvin, One Strategy Group
8. TRUST YOUR GUT.
Start by realizing there is no such thing as a standard solution. Every problem is born of a unique situation, with a commercial implication, a time-pressure component, and the emotional and behavioral nuances of the humans involved. Leadership is 50% MacGuyvering a best-case scenario while hanging out the back of a speeding truck. Assess your situation, identify your options, and trust your gut. – Neil Whitfield, Reed Words
9. CREATE PROVOCATION CARDS.
We've productized non-standard solutions by developing a deck of provocation cards. Each card has a method for looking at a problem in a fresh, sometimes outrageous or bizarre way. The discipline strips away many of the barriers and assumptions that are getting in the way of original thinking. – Bob Sprague, Yes&
10. LEARN TO STRENGTHEN YOUR CREATIVE MUSCLE.
Leaders shouldn't rely on one-size-fits-all solutions. Creativity is a natural part of leadership, but it's also a muscle you can strengthen. Leaders should step outside their comfort zones to boost creative thinking, explore diverse ideas, and practice thinking from first principles. This mindset helps leaders discover innovative solutions and navigate emerging technology's unpredictable challenges. – Joe Depa, EY
11. SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.
If leaders could set the initial expectation that no problem has a one-size-fits-all solution, it's likely going to be easier to think creatively when resolving problems. A fun motto we have in my workplace is: 'Not everything is apples to apples; some things are apples to oranges.' This essentially means that not every problem can be resolved in the ways we expect, but there's always a solution. – Misty Larkins, Relevance
12. SURVEY FEEDBACK FROM THE FRONT LINES.
Leaders can tap into creativity through proper immersion by considering different perspectives and listening to customers, people at the front line, partners, and even external voices. Inviting cross-functional actions, such as collaboration or simply questioning their own assumptions, is another way to help foster creative thinking. – Asad Khan, LambdaTest Inc.
13. UTILIZE CHATGPT AS A STARTING POINT TO GENERATE POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS.
This is a perfect use case for AI. Simply go into ChatGPT, describe the problem, and ask it to come up with some creative ways to address the problem. – Toni Pisano, PortPro Technologies, Inc.
14. READ MORE BROADLY.
Leaders can boost creativity by embracing diverse perspectives, encouraging brainstorming without judgment, and stepping outside their usual routines. Reading broadly, asking 'what if' questions, and staying curious fosters innovative thinking, especially when standard solutions fall short. – Stephen Nalley, Black Briar Advisors
15. GET OUT FROM BEHIND THE SCREEN.
Stop managing from a spreadsheet and start talking to people. The best solutions come from understanding the real challenges your team faces. Get on the ground, ask the right questions, and listen. Creativity comes from being deeply informed and having the resources to think differently. To do that, you need to step out of day-to-day operations and give yourself space to see the big picture. – Milos Eric, OysterLink
16. STAY CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT IS POSSIBLE.
I began my career as a chef, where creativity wasn't optional—it was survival. You learned fast that no recipe fits every challenge. As a CEO, I bring that same mindset. Leaders become more creative by test-baking ideas, blending diverse thinking like a great fusion dish, and staying curious enough to solve what tradition can't. – Nicholas Wyman, IWSI America
17. PUT PEOPLE FIRST.
Look for the intersection of people and technology. The most powerful solutions don't come from algorithms—they come from understanding needs. With all the advancements taking place, there is an opportunity to rewrite the playbook and combine ingenuity and innovation. Stop defaulting to what's been done and start exploring what could be done to unlock a new level of people-first problem-solving. – Steve Cox, Employ Inc.
18. STUDY THE STRATEGIES OF YOUR MENTOR.
Creative leaders aren't born. They're relentlessly resourceful. They seek out mentors, study how others solve problems, and form sound judgment by connecting patterns quickly. When faced with unfamiliar challenges, they don't rely on instinct alone. They learn fast, ask better questions, and adapt ideas across contexts to craft original solutions. – Albert Lie, Forward Labs
19. GAMIFY THE CHALLENGE.
Try looking at the problem like it's a puzzle in a game. Strip away the industry or business context and just think about what would make it work. That shift helps you break away from the usual thinking and spot creative angles you might miss when you're too deep in the day-to-day. – Travis Schreiber, erase.com