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By Peter Lloyd

Don Winkler says, "The dumber the question, the more people laugh at you, the more likely it will lead to a breakthrough." And he should know. Don does lots of things backwards, not necessarily on purpose. He has a dyslexic brain.

With his unusual way of thinking and doing things, Winkler has won the day for more than one company. When he headed up the Finance One arm of Banc One, he practiced his innovative, cart-before-the-horse way of solving problems.

1. He dramatically improved another bank's customer service reputation by moving the president's desk out into the lobby.


2. At yet another bank, he averted a run by taking money out of the safe and displaying it behind the tellers.


3. He helped eliminate a paper backlog by renaming it the "frontlog."


4. When he gives speeches, he sometimes begins by answering questions.


5. And he takes short naps before meetings instead of falling asleep during them.

Need a simple and refreshing way to stimulate creative thinking? Whether you're working alone or leading a brainstorming session, try doing it backwards.

Peter Lloyd is co-creator with Stephen Grossman of Animal Crackers, the breakthrough problem-solving tool designed to crack your toughest problems.