How to Take a Concept From One Domain and Use It in Another

Why Your Best Ideas Don’t Belong Where You Found Them.

There’s this great phrase in tennis: the unforced error. It means you lost the point not because your opponent did something brilliant, but because you messed up on a shot you should have made. No pressure, no impossible spin — just a mistake. Now, if you don’t play tennis, you might shrug. Cool, but I’m not out here on a clay court like Nadal.

But here’s the trick: once you understand “unforced error” in tennis, you start seeing it everywhere. That job interview you tanked because you didn’t bother to read the company website? Unforced error. Burning garlic bread because you got distracted scrolling TikTok? Unforced error. Forgetting your friend’s birthday even though your calendar sent you three reminders? Definitely an unforced error.

That’s what this article is about: the little magic act of finding a concept in one domain (sports, science, cooking, nature, whatever) and applying it somewhere totally different.

This ability, call it cross-domain thinking is what separates people who just know things from people who make things click. It’s how good communicators explain complexity, how innovators spot breakthroughs, and how leaders make abstract ideas land in the room.

You can practice it. You can get better at it.

(Bridge connecting two very different landscapes)

What’s Actually Going On Here?

When you lift a concept out of one area and use it in another, you’re doing one (or several) of the following:

• Mental modeling: Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s partner, talks about building a “latticework of mental models.” Basically: grab big ideas from many fields and cross-stitch them into how you see the world.

• Analogical thinking: In cognitive science, this is when you solve a problem in one area by recognizing its structure is similar to something you already know in another.

• Cross-domain transfer: In education, it’s the skill of applying knowledge learned in one setting to a completely different one.

• Metaphorical reasoning: If you’re feeling literary, this is carrying over meaning through metaphor.

Different names, same magic: you’re spotting a pattern beneath the surface details and dragging it over into new territory.

Why It’s Valuable (Spoiler: It’s a Superpower)

Let’s be blunt: the ability to borrow ideas across domains is one of the most powerful skills you can cultivate.

1. It makes complex things digestible.

Ever tried explaining “compounding interest” to a teenager? Say “it’s like a snowball rolling downhill” and boom — instant clarity.

2. It fuels creativity.

Breakthroughs almost always happen when someone borrows from another field.

• Velcro? Inspired by burrs sticking to a dog’s fur.

• Airplane wings? Modeled on birds.

• The Internet? Borrowed its “packet system” from the postal service.

3. It builds bridges with people.

Analogies are shortcuts to shared understanding. You can talk to a finance guy using baseball metaphors or explain project management to your grandma using recipes. Suddenly, people get it.

4. It’s a leadership edge.

People who can reframe concepts across contexts don’t just sound smart — they make things memorable. That’s influence.

Why It Feels Hard (and Slow)

If you’re like me, you get the idea first and then wrestle to explain it. You know the connection is there, but it feels like pulling teeth to articulate it.

That lag is normal.

• Your brain leaps fast — it sees the pattern.

• But to communicate it, you have to strip away domain-specific jargon, translate the principle, and then wrap it back up in a new example.

That translation takes work. It’s like spotting a path through the woods and then having to lay down the stepping stones so other people can follow.

And yeah, sometimes the metaphor breaks. Sometimes the analogy feels forced. That’s part of the learning curve.

How to Actually Do It (A Step-by-Step Transfer Template)

Here’s a practical template you can use every time you catch one of these sparks:

1. Spot the Spark
   Notice when a concept in one field feels “too good to leave behind.”
   Unforced errors aren’t just tennis — they’re life.

2. Strip to the Core Principle
   What’s the essence of the idea?
   Avoidable mistakes hurt more than tough challenges.

3. Search for Parallels
   Where else does that principle show up?
   At work (sending the wrong attachment). In health (skipping sleep). In relationships (forgetting birthdays).

4. Reframe with Example
   Anchor it in the new domain with concrete stories.
   Your project blew up not because it was complex, but because no one read the requirements doc.

5. Package It Simply
   Compress into a one-liner people can repeat.
   “In tennis, it’s hitting the net. In life, it’s missing the obvious.”

6. Check for Fit
   Does this analogy clarify or confuse? If it muddies the waters, ditch it.

Stories of Borrowed Brilliance

• Medicine → Aviation: Surgeons adopted checklists after seeing how pilots used them.
  Lesson: Simple guardrails prevent avoidable mistakes in high-stakes environments.

• Nature → Tech: Velcro was invented when a hiker noticed burrs sticking to his dog’s fur.
  Lesson: Paying attention to everyday phenomena can spark world-changing design.

• Biology → AI: Neural networks borrow from how brains process information.
  Lesson: Studying how living systems learn inspired machines that “learn” too.

• Sports → Business: Coaches like Phil Jackson used Zen Buddhist principles to manage NBA teams.
  Lesson: Mindfulness and adaptability work as well in locker rooms as they do in boardrooms.

• Complexity Science → Project Management: Canada’s Project Complexity and Risk Assessment (PCRA) Tool applies complexity science by rating projects across multiple dimensions (risk, stakeholders, dependencies, technology).
  Lesson: By understanding a project’s complexity profile upfront, leaders can calibrate governance, resources, and oversight instead of treating every project the same.

Practicing the Skill

You don’t have to wait for lightning to strike. You can deliberately cultivate this habit.

• Read widely. Don’t just stick to your lane. Pick up books on biology, design, philosophy. The more inputs you have, the more raw material for analogies.

• Keep an “analogy bank.” Jot down sparks in a notebook or app. Doesn’t matter if they’re half-baked — capture them.

• Play the “What else is this like?” game. When you learn something new, immediately ask: where else does this principle show up?

• Practice one-liners. Try compressing your analogy into a single punchy sentence.

• Test with real people. If they light up with “Oh, I get it now,” you nailed it.

Why This Isn’t Just Cute Writing

Here’s the deeper point: this isn’t just about sounding clever in articles or talks. It’s about thinking better.

• Cross-domain borrowing forces you to look for underlying patterns.

• It stretches your brain out of narrow silos.

• It builds flexibility — the kind you need when facing novel problems.

Complexity is the default and being able to reframe ideas across fields is an edge.

Become a Collector of Concepts

Here’s the call to action: start collecting. Start noticing.

That phrase you heard at the gym? Could be useful in your boardroom. That science metaphor? Could explain a relationship dynamic. That cooking trick? Might just illuminate your time management problem.

Because the truth is, the best ideas rarely stay where they were born. They travel. And the people who know how to carry them over? They’re the ones who create insight, innovation, and impact.

So don’t just admire a concept in its original home. Steal it. Translate it. Make it yours.

Hope this helps.

Nicole