Having read and reviewed several dozen books on creativity, innovation, and design thinking, I think I now understand what could be described as a “secret sauce.” It is the result of a process of connection, combination, and coordination.

Here’s how it works:

After World War Two, Honda Motor Company produced a small generator for limited use in homes until electrical power was restored. Company executives noticed that the generator was being attached to the wheels of a bicycle and they followed the process. The result: the recreational motorcycle.

After taking his dog for a walk in the woods, George de Mestral began to remove burrs and followed the process. The result: Velcro.

A scientist at 3M, Art Fry, sang in a church choir and was frustrated by paper markers that kept dropping out of his hymnal. He heard about a new “weak” adhesive developed by a colleague, Spencer Silver, and followed the process. The result: Post-it Notes.

When Bette Nesmith Graham resumed her career as a typist, she made many mistakes on the electric typewriter and searched for a way to correct them. She applied quick-drying gesso with a paintbrush, called the fluid Mistake Out, and followed the process. The result: Liquid Paper.

Mary Kay Ash used a leather softener to remove wrinkles on her hands but mildly objected to the odor, and followed the process. The result: a best-selling lotion on which she built a Fortune 100 company.

Almost anyone can think creatively if they can overcome what I call “the invisibility of the obvious” and connect, combine, and coordinate what others ignore.