It’s one of the oldest illusions in the world.

The trick that turns a rod into a snake that slithers away when it’s thrown on the floor.

Read about it in the Bible, Exodus VII, 10-12. It tells the story of Aaron in the court of the Egyptian pharaoh.

Surprisingly enough, you might be able to manage this trick yourself.

First cool down your snake on a block of ice and then pull it absolutely straight.

Next, clamp down hard on the snake’s head with your thumb and index finger.

The snake goes rigid like a rod, thinking it’s being eaten by a predator.

You can wave it around over your head in rod fashion, but when it’s thrown on the floor the snake revives to slither away.

With that you can take a bow as a master magician.

Of course this is all about illusion and reality.

And in that sense, it holds a lesson when it comes to the way things appear and the way things really are.

Unhappily, many in the business world often make decisions on how things appear to be.

The cost of this? It can be a misapprehension that makes you think you’re on the right track when in fact you’re adrift.

This was true for companies like Pennsylvania Railroad, A&P Supermarkets, Smith Corona Typewriters, Kodak Film, Polaroid, Bethlehem Steel, Pan Am and more.

Add to this companies that are now faltering, like Red Lobster, Williamsburg Tourism and JC Penny.

Once powerful, where are they now?

You might say there’s a cautionary message here.

When you solve problems by habit — without taking a ‘what if’ approach — you could be on thin ice.

It’s why the last thing you want to hear from new hires is the bleating retort that goes something like this, ‘but we always did it this way in my previous company’.

Still, if you want to innovate, change behaviors in your marketplace, present your brand anew and be better able to compete, how do you go against the accepted strategy of the day?

How do you pursue a vision that may not be the CEOs vision?

In a corporate sense it can be tough to go against the flow without looking naive or uncooperative.

But imagine this.

What if in the 1950s someone at Pennsylvania Railroad realized they were not just in the passenger train business but their calling was something greater. The transportation business, for instance.

Maybe this cash-rich organization could have hedged their bets and invested in the fledgling airline companies that eventually grew up to put them out of business.

Had they thought differently they might be around today with a fleet of Airbus 380s and an international service instead of existing as a footnote of industrial history – and maybe they’d be stronger than ever.

Of course, there’s an old joke about avoiding this sort of myopic view.

You put your contact lenses in backwards so you can see if there are any new ideas in you brain.

Failing that, the idea of taking time just to think about your direction could help in your planning.

Why not set aside a period each week for thinking that’s not limited to the realities of day-to-day operations.

Independent thinking helped Chrysler come up with the Minivan. It helped 3M create Post-It-Notes. It helped Banner Pharmacaps develop Softgels for faster delivery of analgesics.

It’s how Warby Parker is redefining the prescription glasses and sunglasses business. It’s how Philz Coffee is becoming a stunning success. It’s how Beyond Meat developed chicken-free strips you would swear are chicken.

It’s how a company started in 2009 is putting other yogurt brands in the shade. That’s Chobani.

Isn’t it time for you to follow suit?

Maybe your next off-site could be a kick off for thinking about R&D, new products, new ways to market existing products and fresh ideas to change minds and engage your customers as well as the customers of your competition.

Get your people to begin contributing new ideas. Or visions.

After a hard day of brainstorming, you might want to reward them with a bit of entertainment.

Chances are somewhere online you’ll find a magician who can turn a rod into a slithering snake.

Share your take on marketing thinking with us. How do you ensure you’re making the right decisions? How do you innovate?’ Thanks, Steve Ulin