Advantages of Thinking Outside the Box Essay Example

just a matter of finding it. Finding the solution is likely to require you to step outside of your comfort zone.

For example, some might worry about how they will be perceived If they ask for help. Leaders see this as part of their development. If you want to step out of your comfort zone, try looking at it from deferent perspectives. Learn A Lot Every time you take action you get a result. It might not be the result you were expecting but you will definitely get a result. If it is a successful result you keep looking for ways of applying to other situations. If you are unsuccessful or get a different result than you expected, you learn a lot. Take that learning and use it to help you to be a better leader.

Focus On The Result As a leader you are judged on the results that you get. While there will be other variables that will contribute to your overall performance assessment, bottom line it is results that matter. When you are thinking out of the box, the focus will always be on achieving results and finding ways of delivering results, more efficiently, more effectively and more economically than you currently do. Inspire Others If you are a leader who thinks out of the box and encourages others to do the same, you will inspire and motivate others.

Your team will start to focus on delivering results, become comfortable In taking chances, making mistakes and learning from hem. They will be more creative and willing to step out of their comfort zone because they know they can rely on you as

the leader to support you. 1 OFF Techniques Creative thinking is often the mother of invention or achievement. Most successful people are not afraid to think 'outside the box' and pursue ideas that others may have never considered. But how to you cultivate these creative thoughts? In our connected world it is very easy to Just go along with popular thinking and lose track of your individual creativity.

These techniques are aimed at helping you to keep your individuality and letting those creative Juices flow. Ask Questions From the book "What a Great Idea" by Chic Thompson Ask "Why" a problem is happen and then ask "Why" four more times. For example: 1. Why has the machine stopped? -A fuse blew because of an overload. 2. Why was there an overload? -There wasn't enough lubrication for the bearings. 3. Why wasn't there enough lubrication? -The pump wasn't pumping enough. 4. Why wasn't lubricant being pumped? -The pump shaft was vibrating as a result of abrasion. 5.

Why was there abrasion? -There was no filter, allowing chips of material into the pump. Installation of a filter will solve the problem. Lateral Thinking Edward De Bono writes in "Serious Creativity", how he became interested in the sort of thinking that computers could not do: creative and perceptual thinking. The entry in the Concise Oxford Dictionary reads: "seeking to solve problems by unorthodox or apparently illogical methods. Lateral thinking is about moving sideways when working on a problem to try different perceptions, different concepts and different points of entry.

The term covers a variety of methods including provocations to get us UT of the usual line of thought.

Lateral thinking is cutting across patterns in a self- organizing system, and has very much to do with perception. The term "Lateral thinking" can be used in two senses: * Specific: A set of systematic techniques used for changing concepts and perceptions, and generating new ones. * General: Exploring multiple possibilities and approaches instead of pursuing a single approach. For example: Granny is sitting knitting and three year old Susan is upsetting Granny by playing with the wool.

One parent suggests putting Susan into the playpen. The other parent suggests it might be a better idea to put Granny in the playpen to protect her from Susan. Brainstorming The term Brainstorming has become a commonly used word in the English language as a generic term for creative thinking. The basis of brainstorming is a generating idea in a group situation based on the principle of suspending Judgment - a principle which scientific research has proved to be highly productive in individual effort as well as group effort. The generation phase is separate from the Judgment phase of Imagination".

This technique involves simply writing out as many different ideas on a epic as you can think of. Start with a general topic at the top of a page. For example: 'Ideas for a Restaurant' From there, Just Jot down whatever pops into your head as fast as you can write. Most of the ideas will probably not be worth pursuing, some might not even make any sense at all - but it only takes one good one to make the whole exercise more than worth your time. Assumption A useful technique of generating ideas is to

list the assumptions of the problem, and then explore what happens as you drop each of these assumptions individually or in ambition.

For example: I used to work in the Customer Service division of a software company. When customers purchase software, they are encouraged to purchase support agreements for a cost of 15% of the software value. The revenue from this maintenance funds the support personnel who answer telephones. The assumptions of this situation are: * Customers purchase maintenance agreements * Customers pay 15% of the software's worth for support * Support is a product and should therefore be sold * The software vendor provides helpful, timely support

Now think about the situations as each attribute is dropped. What happens if support is free? - Maybe the software price should be increased and the support given away, creating the impression of a free support. Don't support the product - Don't offer support. The vendor doesn't have to support it, so doesn't have to employ support staff. If anyone rings for help, tell them to buzz off! This could lead to customers forming their own support groups (user groups) or turning to other areas such as the Internet, bulletin boards, newsletters, independent support specialists and so on.