Not just IT

Cross fertilization.  No, we're not talking about agriculture.  What we are talking about is the ability to look at other areas and bring some of those concepts and ideas into your own area.  Jim Collins talks about this in the PBS show Good to Great when he showed how public sector organizations (for example, a police force) can utilize the tools, experience and lessons from a company such as Starbucks to revitalize and improve themselves  Just because something isn't in your area of expertise, doesn't mean that you can't read it, watch it, enjoy it and, most importantly, learn from it.

For instance, the whole idea behind Design Patterns for IT applications was started by a 1977 book by Christopher Alexander that established a pattern language to discuss the construction of towns and buildings.  It was a book on architecture, not IT.  The idea behind this book is what prompted a number of individuals in the IT field to look at a pattern language for designing applications.

While it is important to understand what is happening in your own field and be proficient at it, there is an alternative need to broaden your perspective and look at other areas in an effort to kick start your own mental processes.  While watching the Bridge to Terabithia with my daughters I was struck by the appropriateness of the song "Keep Your Mind Wide Open".  While it matched the underlying thematic element in the movie it was also very appropriate for this discussion.

By limiting yourself to just IT books and websites and magazines there is a tremendous amount of knowledge that people miss out on.  By opening up your perspective, by keeping your mind wide open, you expose yourself to new possibilities and new ideas that might, just might, change your perspective on a problem and make something easier to solve, easier to build and better for everyone involved.