The “i Factor”: The Missing Variable Behind Exceptional Results
- Russell Cullingworth
- Apr 21
- 5 min read
Exceptional results don’t happen when your capabilities are limited to existing technical knowledge and experience.
Two Engineers
Two engineers stand on the banks of a vast canyon and contemplate the client’s request: How do we get traffic to the other side?
The first engineer considers similar existing projects, their team’s expertise and experience and the daunting limitations that were presented in the geological report.
They go back to the office and write a long email that says “For these reasons, in my professional opinion, having considered all the risks, this project is impossible. It can’t be done.”
The 2nd engineer also considers the same data, but a vision begins to form in their head – ideas swirl and a picture emerges that applies the engineering from a variety of existing projects and puts them together like something never seen before. An incredible feat that, if possible, would change the possibilities for the entire profession. In their mind they simulate the challenges and various solutions until they “see” a possible option that might… just… work.
They go back to the office and run some simulations and models. The option shows positive results, and the engineer writes an email to the client that says “Yes, we can do this!”
Develop minds that write the future
What do Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Nicola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Edith Clarke, Hedy Lamarr, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk have in common?
You may have said that they’re all inventors. That’s correct.
More importantly though, they all created exceptional achievements because they imagined something that existed beyond the boundaries of the technical knowledge and experience that existed at that time.
Imagination is the exponential force multiplier of existing technical knowledge and experience that results in EXCEPTIONAL outcomes.Thomas Edison (1847–1931) used sensory integration to imagine sound as a physical vibration that could be carved into tinfoil, allowing him to "trap" the human voice for the first time in history.
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) used extreme visualization to "run" and repair complex electrical inventions entirely within his thoughts, bypassing the need for physical prototypes.
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) used "thought experiments" - like imagining himself surfing on a beam of light - to engage his brain’s default mode network and rewrite the laws of time and space.
Edith Clarke (1883–1959) used mathematical modeling to imagine a graphical calculator that could solve complex equations for power line equilibrium, engineering a way to stabilize the electrical grid long before the first digital computers were built to handle the load.
Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000) used conceptual blending to apply the mechanical logic of a player piano to radio waves, creating the "frequency hopping" blueprint that makes modern Wi-Fi possible.
Steve Jobs (1955–2011) used top-down vision to demand a "buttonless" glass interface, forcing technical engineering to catch up to a future-focused mental image of the perfect user experience.
Elon Musk (1971–Present) Whether it's a multi-planetary civilization or a world without fossil fuels, he holds a vivid mental image of a future that doesn't exist yet. He begins projects even when he personally lacks the "technical skills" to build them, using his imagination to create the roadmap that he then hired thousands of experts to finish.
The pattern is pretty clear. It’s called the “i FACTOR” E = (T+X)i
Technical knowledge (T) and Experience (X) build over time. They stack, they sharpen, they help you get better at what already exists – but they’re limited to what’s already known.
Imagination (i) plays a completely different role. It stretches the boundary of what’s possible. It takes what you know and what you’ve done and pushes it into a future that doesn’t exist yet. Imagination acts like an exponent - not because it makes things incrementally better, but because it can completely change the outcome.
The problem is that most people are trained to operate without it. We’re taught to optimize, not to imagine. Improve the system, make it more efficient, reduce errors. All good things - but linear.
Exceptional outcomes are almost never linear. They happen when someone sees something others don’t see yet and decides to build toward it anyway.
Imagination gets written off as this abstract, creative thing, but it’s actually much more practical and powerful than that.
It’s structured. It’s directional. It’s your brain running simulations using what it already knows and recombining it into something new. When you imagine something vividly, your brain lights up in ways that are very similar to actually doing it. So you’re not just thinking about the future - you’re rehearsing it, testing it, tweaking it before it ever shows up in the real world.
That’s where the real advantage comes in.
Technical knowledge and experience teach you from the past. Imagination lets you learn from the future.
It helps you see problems earlier, spot opportunities sooner, and work through things before they fully play out. In a way, it compresses time.
And yet, most people don’t really use it. Not because they can’t, but because they’ve stopped. They stick to what’s known, lean on what’s worked before, and wait for proof before they move. Over time, imagination quietly gets replaced with optimization. And while optimization makes things better, it rarely makes them exceptional.
So if imagination is the exponent, the obvious question is: how do you actually increase it?
Neuroscience evidence shows that, just like the body, our brains need exercise to operate effectively.
If you stop using your brain to process complex problems, you’ll slowly lose this ability and will have to work to get it back again. It’s called cognitive atrophy.
What we’ve lost sight of in the modern world is the importance of imagination – we’ve been spoon-fed so much visual information that we’ve become passive consumers. Watching, not imagining.
Those who create art, music, read or listen to audiobooks are the exception because each of these also use imagination and develop brain plasticity (neuroplasticity). Neuroscience shows that, when you learn something new, your neural pathways grow stronger, and when you practice, signals travel faster and more efficiently.
ProDio creates audio learning content that is specifically designed to engage imagination through storytelling, acted scenarios, metaphors and other media – this encourages your brain to become a co-creator, using your own mental engine to create mental images.
In this way you’re using your whole brain while you listen.
And this practice of deliberately practicing imagination is proven to build neuroplasticity – your brain’s ability to be creative, innovative and improve judgement.
Which brings us back to the equation: E = (T + X)i.
Two people can have the same knowledge and the same experience and end up in completely different places. One improves what’s already there. The other builds something new. The difference isn’t talent or intelligence - it’s how far beyond the present they’re willing and able to think.
Technical skill still matters. Experience still matters. But they don’t produce exceptional results on their own.
Imagination does. The i Factor.
Develop minds that write the future.
How well is your organization intentionally cultivating executive imagination, creativity, innovative thinking and real-world scenario risk analysis?
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