Some of you might remember Pinky and the Brain from the 1990’s or from the revival series released in 2020. But whether you were a fan or not, these genetically enhanced laboratory mice have a lot to teach us all about creative interaction and collaboration.

The Brain was brilliant and preoccupied with conceiving and executing hairbrained schemes “to take over the world.” His dim-witted companion Pinky didn’t care about taking over the world in the slightest but was irrepressibly delighted to join in anything fun.

While most of their schemes flopped hilariously, some succeeded quite well. Regardless of their level of success however, none would have even gotten off the ground were it not for their unlikely collaboration. The Brain on his own would have gotten completely fixated on a scheme without ever seeing obvious flaws or considering alternate options. Pinky, with his right-brain churning away madly could never focus on anything long enough to carry it forward on his own.

Pinky and the Brain are like individual left and right brain hemispheres, divided into separate bodies. And we get to watch and laugh while learning how they work so well together both creatively and logically.

Here’s an example I made up to illustrate of one of their planning sessions..

Pinky I have it! An infallible plan to take over the world!

Egads, really Brain? Oh do tell!!

Look at these schematics Pinky. This device will place jellybeans strategically along the sidewalks to lure people to this park [thrusts pointer toward map]. You know people cannot resist jellybeans. Once the mindless throngs have been lured into the park, I shall announce my candidacy for President and promise jellybeans for everyone.

Narf! Brilliant Brain. I mean no one can resist jellybeans can they? And you can put the red ones on the grass and the green ones on the red carpet so no one can miss them!

Excellent idea Pinky, let me just add that to my calculations…

Oh, but wait Brain… what about the white ones? I mean no one really likes the white ones do they Brain? What are they anyway, coconut? They don’t taste like coconut, narf!

Hmm, excellent point Pinky. I shall have to rethink this entire plan. Let us regroup tomorrow night.

What are we doing tomorrow night Brain?

The same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world!

So, here’s what I’d like to point out about this highly compressed illustration. First, Brain comes up with an idea. Pinky enthusiastically supports the idea and suggests how it can be improved. Brain incorporates the improvement. But then Pinky spots a possible flaw and Brain realizes he must rethink at least a portion of his plan.

In real life, creative thinking must occur this way to be successful. As author Bob Samples pointed out in his book The Metaphoric Mind (see here), effective creative thinking alternates between logical progression and unrestricted lateral thinking. Or as Samples calls it, logic and play. One must move down a logical path sufficiently to develop it, but must also be willing and able to jump out and head in a different direction if that looks more fruitful.

If one remains locked in a single logical train of thinking, there is a huge chance that the thinker becomes blinded to how increasingly ridiculous that train of logic is becoming. Even if every little step is perfectly sound and logical, such paths can end up concluding that benevolent aliens are going to pick us up after we drink poison. Likewise, flighty thinking that cannot settle down to develop an idea sufficiently can never take it anywhere.

This leads many people to think that their role in creative interaction is to play the curmudgeon, the devils advocate, the nay-sayer, the flaw-finder, the pick-aparter. By doing that, they think, they are contributing positively to make ideas better. But unfortunately this does not work if that is all you do. All that such behavior does is to smother every new idea in the crib before it ever has the chance to grow.

Likewise, others believe that if they’re just unfailingly positive, support every idea no matter how objectively flawed, they are helping. They are not. All they are doing is enabling ultimately doomed trains of thought to steam-roll over a cliff.

The best approach is the one modelled by Pinky. He is unfailingly positive and does not poke holes just to show how smart he is or in some misguided view that doing so is the best way to help. He gets genuinely excited and enthusiastically contributes new ideas that make the plan even better as long as he can. But, if he does see a major flaw at some point, he points it out. Despite his investment in the plan, Brain responds appropriately. He bonks Pinky on the head if the objection is silly, makes adjustments if it is substantive, or heads back to the drawing board if it is a fatal flaw.

So when you collaborate with a friend or colleague on a new idea, try to emulate Pinky and the Brain. Help develop ideas as long as you can before poking holes. If holes appear after carrying the idea along a ways, play with divergent new approaches and carry those forward as long as you can. Keep the idea bouncing around like a volleyball. Don’t spike it prematurely into the dirt. If you are all alone for now, use the Pinky and the Brain inside of you. If you do, you’re much more likely to take over the world, maybe even tomorrow night.