Most people would agree that Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius. No matter what your own discipline… you could find inspiration in how Da Vince viewed the world and life.  Author Michael J. Gelb set out to study how Da Vinci thought, what made his thinking different than others. He discovered that there were seven steps… he says, “Not five and not eight, there were precisely seven. I know it sounds like a cleaver marketing headline, but it’s not.” In his book, How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci, he outlines the steps…

1. Curiosita – Approaching life with insatiable curiosity and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.

2. Dimostrazione – Committing to test knowledge through experience, persistence and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

3. Sensazione – Continually refine the senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experiences.

4. Sfumato – Embracing ambiguity, paradox and uncertainty.

5. Arte & Scienza – Balancing science and art, logic and imagination – ‘whole-brain thinking.’

6. Corporalita – Cultivating grace, ambidexterity, fitness and poise.

7. Connessione – Recognizing and appreciating the interconnectedness of all things – ‘systems thinking.’

I’m sure as a lawyer you read each one and the skeptic in you said… “I’m a lawyer… not a renaissance man!” But, I ask you to take a moment to think about how you could use this mindset to develop business. Imagine how this kind of thinking could set you apart from other lawyers. And I bet if truth be told, you already do a bit of this, maybe number five, balancing logic and imagination? Embrace your genius and develop your Curiosita!

If you’d like to learn more about putting this mindset to work as you develop business, I’d love to chat with you. Give me a call or shoot me an email today!