Do you ever wonder how Bill Gates went from college dropout to dominating the emerging industry of PC software? Or how that frumpy Midwesterner Warren Buffett outperforms the stock market by such a wide margin decade after decade? Or how the young Einstein, stuck in the unglamorous job of patent clerk, quickly unleashed a stream of new theories that revolutionized physics? Or how Winston Churchill, a mid-level politician subject to fits of depression, was able to see the true threat of Nazism well before most and became the linchpin of the West’s effort to defeat fascism?

These are all unlikely success stories of remarkable people who had a talent for seeing what others missed. Not only for seeing but also for grasping the factors that would allow new paradigms of knowledge to be realized, new wealth to be created, or new threats to be defeated. In all cases, insight led to action. Einstein’s equations—a few scratches on paper—turned out to be the most powerful of all, leading to nuclear fission, which can be used for power generation or to create weapons of war.

People of this ilk aren’t many times smarter than their contemporaries, they don’t have any more hours in the day, and they don’t have infallible crystal balls seeing the future. So how is it that they manage to change the world? How are they different? My first answer is that the differences are easy to miss because they are subtle. These people possess two important qualities.

The first is that their broad sense of purpose is very clear. This allows them to see that processes and systems are there only to help move toward goals. Most people don’t see that. The common motivation is to keep systems running. Out of habit, people become so attached to routine that they forget the original goals and resist any attempts at profound change. For example, at the start of a major war, the senior generals are usually fighting the last one, as the expression goes.

The second difference is that these remarkable people have an unusual type of focus that allows them to perceive alternatives that others miss—to zero in on information that is on the fringe and easily overlooked. These people see a range of options that others do not. They also have a personal compass that allows them to make choices amid uncertainty, without needing the comfort of the familiar that most of us rely on.

Let’s use the metaphor of geography. Most of us navigate by moving along known paths. We make decisions about which direction to take only when we come to crossroads that are clearly marked. These remarkable people also live in a world of pathways, crossroads, and signposts, but they are not as self-

evident as the ones most folks rely on. They may find a path that is faintly marked but that may be a much more direct route to the goal. If this route opens up a promising new territory, the settlers will follow behind. Faint paths will become well worn and well marked for others to follow.

In science, the historian Thomas Kuhn called this phenomenon a “paradigm shift.” In this column we will explore the phenomenon of detecting and exploring new options as they apply to business and related fields. I call this phenomenon “mind shift.”

Throughout my career, I have met a few of these remarkable people. They seem to experience the world differently than many of us do. They possess a simplicity and a clarity that enables them to find faint but potentially important signals hidden amid the noise. They are not shackled by convention and process.

An original insight must be tested and acted upon, but without it there is nothing. Everything starts with an idea, the philosophers say. I would back up even more and say that everything begins with a strong sense of purpose and an unusual type of focus. This is how new ideas are discovered.

I know someone with a powerful and creative mind. He has an unusual quality. When others are enmeshed in details, he suddenly projects himself outward to see the big picture. Conversely, when others are arguing about generalities, he suddenly focuses on a telling detail. This is that rare type of concentration—a blend of perception and cognition.

One way to spot these people is by their unusual career paths. Mark Burnett was a British paratrooper, a member of an elite military unit trained to operate anywhere in the world under the most adverse circumstances. From there he created the Eco-Challenge adventure-race TV series, which gave him the idea for Survivor, and this planted the seed for The Apprentice. Each of these steps is a mind shift—a leap in perception that few others would be able to make. It’s how the world moves ahead.

Atlantic Canada’s Harry Steele is a case in point. As a base commander in Gander, Nfld., he became interested in the commercial aviation that took place on-site. This led him to found Eastern Provincial Airways, his first foray into business. From there he moved into media, printing, and automobile sales. The key at each point was the perception that new value could be created. His mind shifted, then he moved to exploit these new insights.