You may have seen the title of this post and wondered what in the world is Jeff talking about!  What does he mean by intersectional thinking?  I'll provide my own interpretation in a moment but first, let me encourage you to check out "The Medici Effect" by Frans Johansson.  It's a very good read and lays out his concept of intersectional thinking nicely.

My personal interpretation of intersectional thinking is that all of your experiences should be part of how you approach a challenge.  The more diverse your makeup of experiences (arts, jobs, culture, literature, etc.) then the more likely you are to be able to visualize solutions that break away from "what's always been done" in that area.

My own background is incredibly diverse.  I spent my youth on a tobacco farm in rural North Carolina seeing firsthand the dichotomy between rural and urban America.  I was an academic standout and the resident school artist but instead of going straight to college after high school, I started a rock band.  My twenties were filled with various jobs ranging from cameraman to insurance salesman to postal carrier, before relocating to Raleigh to work for the Dept of Defense.

Since then, my career has led me to be deeply immersed in technology, adult learning, multimedia design, organizational development, and management.  And with the creation of Triangle Dreamz, I've come nearly full circle back to my first love of graphic design.  My hobbies, especially travel and shooting pool, have also contributed vastly to my understanding of other cultures, subcultures and peoples.  

My varied experiences have often helped me suggest a potential solution to a challenge.  That is the power of intersectional thinking, to pull from experience in one area to help you in a completely different situation.

So what's the point of this post?  I encourage you to look beyond any self-imposed boundaries, to explore other worlds, and to draw upon your own experiences beyond your current job.  If you feel like you're at an impasse with a challenge or that you need to breathe new life into a product or process, search out people outside of your industry to ask their thoughts on the issue.  You just might be surprised at what might come of such an intersection.  After all, X marks the spot!