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Leadership Tool To Encourage Thinking Outside The Box
Thinking outside the box is a critical PersonalSkill - one that will make the difference between success or failure. The
real critical leadership skill is accessing the thinking of others to help see what possibilities lie outside the box –
outside the individual world of thoughts and beliefs and biases.
Try this tool to get the "out of box"
thinking flowing with your “universe” of people.
Draw a square 1 foot by 1 foot. Divide all four sides
into 3 inch increments. Connect the markings horizontally and vertically. You now have a large square with 16 little squares
inside it - a grid pattern.
Ask your people how many different squares can be seen in the grid. The first answer
is usually 16. With some encouragement someone will say 17 - then eighteen - then 19 or 20. That will only happen if you,
as leader of this exercise, show an expectation for a larger number than the first answer - which is usually given quickly
and with conviction. Stay at it - keep asking how many squares others see. Engage everyone in the answer. The number of squares
will continue to increase. With a lot of encouragement your group may get to 24 to 26. Not bad - but there are 30 squares
of various sizes that can be identified in the grid. See how many people try to work alone.
See how many include
others in their discussion. When the group has just about exhausted the possibilities, tell them the answer. If someone gets
the answer, ask them to describe the squares - so that others can gain knowledge.
The point? The group was probably
willing to accept the 16 or 17 or even 20 squares that were stated quickly and with conviction. Had they done that, they would
have left 10 or so squares unidentified. Can your business afford that kind of superficial observation and conclusion ? Does
that kind of dynamic happen often? Make those points as a means of pointing out how very important it is to challenge quick
answers - how very important it is to share thoughts - how very important it is to encourage - or demand - that people expand
their perceptions and look at things through the eyes of others.
There's balance required in this process.
Winston Churchill once said "It's important to have an open mind, but not so open that our brains fall out."
The same is true when it comes to thinking outside our own boxes. But in at least 95% of the cases where groups attempt to
reach for the best answers, many of the members simply don't share or contribute their inputs. The last thing you have
to be concerned with is any brains falling out of open minds – the real concern is getting all the brains contributing.
I suggest to you that the critical Personal Skill leaders bring to thinking outside the box is the skill to draw out
and value those hard - to - get - at inputs from others. They're the difference between seeing 20 boxes or 30 boxes. Which
is better for your organization?
Try this tool with your group – use it to help define what you mean by “thinking
outside the box.” Do it today.
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Andy Cox helps clients align their resources and design and
implement change through the application of goals focused on the important few elements that have maximum impact in achieving
success - as defined by the client. He can be reached at http://www.coxconsultgroup.com or at acox@coxconsultgroup.com.
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