You Own the World Inside Your Head
How thinking experiments can set you apart at work
There is a world that belongs only to you.
No one else can access it unless you choose to share it.
And it requires no funding, no permissions, no approvals.
It’s a place where every assumption can be tested, every possibility explored, and every question reshaped. It’s your inner world – your mind – and it’s the most valuable real estate in your professional life.
In today’s workplace, where artificial intelligence is reshaping roles and where “efficiency” often means doing more with fewer people, it's easy to feel like just another cog in a rapidly evolving machine.
But you aren’t a cog. You are a thinker. And in a world increasingly run by algorithms, thinking sharply, boldly, curiously, is your edge.
This article is an invitation to run experiments in your head.
Not scientific ones with lab coats and data sets, but strategic, human-centred, forward-looking experiments in thinking.
Experiments that could change your job, your team, and possibly even the trajectory of your career.
Let me show you how…
The invisible laboratory you already own
Many people wait for permission to think differently.
They assume that innovation is someone else’s job – perhaps the leadership team, the strategy department, or a dedicated innovation unit.
But the truth is, you don’t need a job title or a business case to begin thinking in a new way. You need only claim ownership of the one thing that’s already yours: your own thoughts.
Think of your mind as a private lab.
A space for safe exploration.
You can conduct trials, test assumptions, reframe problems, and imagine solutions – all without judgment or consequence.
This is where Freaky Thinking and the Meeting Maximiser mindset begin: not with group discussion, but with an individual’s intentional reflection.
And unlike meetings, there are no time limits here.
Curiosity experiments
All breakthroughs begin with curiosity.
The seed of every bold change is a simple, genuine question: Why? What if? Could we?
These are not just prompts for innovation.
They are acts of professional courage.
Try this: the next time something seems inefficient, confusing, or just a bit odd at work, pause and ask yourself: “Why is it done this way?”
Not aloud.
Not yet.
Just in your head.
Then push further, “What would happen if we did it differently? What if we stopped doing it altogether? What if someone in another industry approached this challenge – what would they do?”
Let yourself wander through the possibilities, no matter how unconventional.
You don’t need a slide deck or a solution—just the courage to explore.
Because curiosity is not a childish trait.
It’s the quiet engine of reinvention.
Question testing: Shape the blade before you swing
A great question is like a blade: it cuts through noise, unlocks insight, and sparks better thinking from others.
But before you ask your question aloud in a meeting, to your manager, or in an email, Test it.
Run it through your mind.
Is this the real issue, or just the visible symptom?
Is my question bold enough to matter, but specific enough to act on?
Could it be misinterpreted, or misunderstood?
You can also test your question for usefulness.
Will it help the team see something they’ve missed?
Will it challenge our assumptions without challenging people personally?
Does it move us forward?
Your mind is the safest place to sharpen your questions – so that when you ask them in public, they’re not just noticed, they’re respected.
Who would value this?
Many great ideas fail not because they were wrong, but because they were unaligned.
It’s not just about what you think, but who your thinking is for.
In your mind’s lab, try this exercise: pick someone in your organization whose opinion matters.
Now run your idea past a mental version of them.
Would they see the value?
Would it help them with their priorities or pain points?
What language would resonate with them?
Then try another person. Then another.
Doing this exercise privately, helps you test your thinking for organizational relevance long before you pitch it.
It’s not about people-pleasing.
It’s about precision.
Strategic thinking is as much about who you're thinking with, as what you're thinking about.
Is this the right question now?
Timing matters.
A brilliant insight shared too early or too late can fall flat.
That’s why great thinkers don’t just ask questions, they ask, “Is now the right time for this question?”
Think about what’s happening in your team, your business, or your industry.
Are you in a firefighting phase, or a planning one?
Is the leadership looking for stability, or change?
Has a recent shift in direction made your idea more (or less) relevant?
In your mind’s lab, run some cognitive experiments.
Could I reframe my idea to better match today’s moment?
Could I wait, or seed it gently first?
Does it align with stated values or new strategic goals?
This is not manipulation – it’s wisdom at work.
Knowing when to ask is as powerful as knowing what to ask.
Who could sponsor this idea?
Big ideas often need believers.
In large organizations, those believers are sometimes known as sponsors.
People who have the influence, credibility, or platform to help an idea gain traction.
Before you approach them, identify them.
Use your mind’s lab to test: who in the organization might be predisposed to support this kind of thinking?
Who is always asking for innovation?
Who might see this as a way to advance their own goals?
Then imagine what they would need to hear to become curious, or even committed.
This internal rehearsal builds confidence.
And it also helps ensure that when you share your idea, it’s not just yours. It’s “ours”.
Visualise the ripple effects of your mental prototype
Sometimes we hold back from proposing ideas because we fear unintended consequences.
Sometimes that’s wise.
But instead of letting that fear freeze you, channel it into a mental prototype.
Run the scenario forward in your mind.
If this idea took hold, what would be the ripple effects?
Who might it disrupt?
Who would need to change?
What invisible systems would be touched?
Then rewind it.
Could it be smaller?
Safer?
Tested in a single team first?
By mentally modelling outcomes, you reduce risk before you ever say a word.
And you also equip yourself with answers to the tough questions people may ask you later.
When and how to share your thinking
After all your experiments, your curiosity, your questioning, your mental simulations – you may feel ready to speak up.
But how you bring your thinking into the world matters.
Start small.
Find a trusted colleague and share the idea in its early form.
Frame it as something you're “exploring” or “wondering about.”
This keeps it open, adaptable, and safe to discuss.
Then refine, and test again.
And if the moment feels right, share it in a meeting, a proposal, or a quiet conversation with a leader.
Not with ego, but with intention.
Remember: your inner world is where the value is created, but the outer world is where it makes an impact.
You are more than your job title
In a time when jobs are becoming more automated, where routine tasks are being absorbed by machines, and where decision-making is increasingly data driven, your biggest differentiator is how you think.
Not just how you perform at work, but how you ponder it.
You have more control than you think.
Not over the economy. Not over your manager. Not even over your job description.
But over your thoughts.
Your interpretations, your insights, and your experiments.
The world inside your head is yours.
It is your safest space and your sharpest tool.
Own it. Use it. Run experiments in it.
And when the time is right, share from it.
Not because you have all the answers, but because you’ve taken the time to ask better questions.
You are not replaceable when you are remarkable.
And you are most remarkable when you dare to think for yourself.
So go ahead. Take a walk. Stare out the window.
Let your mind wander – and wonder.
That’s not idleness. That’s edge-work.
And the edge, after all, is where all the interesting things happen.
One more thought…
Every day, you carry with you the most powerful asset your organization never measures: your mind.
The world inside it is your greatest ally in staying relevant, resilient, and remarkable – because it’s where real change begins.
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t have the authority to lead change, remember: you don’t need a title to start a thinking experiment.
You just need curiosity, courage, and a little space to think.
Take a challenge with a 10-minute thinking experiment
Before your next meeting, take 10 quiet minutes to run a simple thought experiment:
· Pick one challenge in your team or role that feels stuck.
· Ask yourself: What question am I not asking about this yet?
· Imagine which manager, if they heard that question, would lean in with interest.
· Visualise what might happen next if they did.
You don’t need to share anything – yet.
Just try it.
Then notice what happens when you begin to think more boldly, in your own private world…