Thinking Out of the Box - Some Musings

Credit - Cottonbro studio

The phrase "Thinking Out of the Box" has been around for a while now.

It was taken to mean that you should try and think beyond what you already know, or think in a different way than usual, or as mentioned in the Collins Dictionary - "to think in a different, innovative, or original manner, esp with regard to business practices, products, systems, etc."  

There are two contenders (that I found) about who originated the concept. I've no idea which is accurately the creator.  

1) From Wikipedia - "According to The Creative Thinking Association of America, Mike Vance popularized the phrase "thinking out of the box". Moreover, it is claimed that the use of the nine-dot puzzle in consultancy circles stems from the corporate culture of the Walt Disney Company, where the puzzle was used in-house."

2) From the Blood Project - It is said to derive from a famous puzzle created by an early 20th century British mathematician Henry Ernest Dudeney. The puzzle asks one to connect nine dots on a three-by-three grid, using four straight lines without the pencil leaving the page.

We know that the analogy of the box is a reference to the boundaries (preferences, dislikes and biases) within which we think, plan and work with the world around us and those people in it.

However, the phrase has been so overused over the past decades in today's world that it sounds jaded and doesn't generate as much excitement (or results?) as it should.

Some years ago, I came across this line by Terry Pratchett who said “I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it."

This line brewed within me since then and I came up with a few more enquires around this phrase, such as-

1. Where exactly is the box? Where does it start and end i.e. how big is it?
2. Who owns the box? How much did they pay for the box? Is it for sale now?
3. How much of thinking is allowed inside the box?
4. What kind of thinking is going on inside the box?
5. Who's paying for all the thinking going on in the box?
6. How much thinking will be allowed outside the box?
7. How much time should be spent thinking out of the box, before you go back into the box?
8. What happens to business as usual if everyone is thinking out of the box?

Well, that's a lot of "boxed thinking".  Should we consider these and other questions like them when we are asked to "Think Out of the Box"? 

I've no answer to any of these questions, and if you do, please write them here.  If you want to add your questions to this list, please do and I'll give you credit.

You may find these questions strange, but just perhaps, they may help you think with more clarity and purpose.

Don’t bother working on weaknesses. Success lies in playing to strengths

This article is why I use Strengths in my work as a career transition coach and as a trainer / facilitator. 

Here's a line from that article:

"Encouraging a focus on knowing and building strengths is the route to a vibrant, happy workforce giving their best."

On a personal note:

Too often I have seen talented people stuck in roles that are not aligned with their strengths.  They are in their current career / job, because they were guided by someone who had their best interests and safety at hear. They are not at their most liveliest during the interview.  They seem to be going through the motions at work.  They're reluctant to make a transition to the career that is better aligned with their strengths, perhaps because of loans to pay, fear of the unknown, or fear of what people will say.

You might say - but we all have weaknesses, and we can't really say no if our work involves that.  

That's true.  What you can do is understand the weaknesses they have that matter in relation to the job in hand, and see how it can be complemented by a colleague's strengths - AND vice-versa.

Read the details in article here.

To know more how to leverage your strengths, please view my articles:

Strengths-based Career Conversations

Setting Your Goalsetting Conversation

9 Critical Aspects to consider when setting goals

How do I develop my Strengths?

And I am NOT! - How to leverage your strengths for Resilience?

Why 'Any Job' will not be appropriate for you?

Article: Moving from Powerlessness to Possibility

 If you’re feeling powerless and just a little helpless right now, join the crowd!  It’s a normal human response to a globally impacting, life-altering situation you have never before encountered.  Especially one that involves so much loss of life and so many unknowns.

The good news, however, is that just because you’re feeling powerless, it doesn’t mean you are.  You can shift from powerlessness to possibility.  Here is the simplest way to make such a monumental shift.

The Grand Canyon leap starts the moment you realize that focusing on what’s happening will only get you more frustrated and more stuck.  That’s because what you see creates your feelings, actions, and outcomes, including your way of being.  As you can see from the figure shown here, blaming your negativity on what’s happening means giving away the biggest power you have available to you: to choose the vantage point from which you will respond. 

Psychologists call this “framing.” It’s is a fancy way of saying that you can change the way you look at something.  After all, whatever you look for you will find.

Paul Dunn puts it another way.  He says:

“Only the view from where you sit will make you fear defeat –

Life is full of many aisles, why don’t you change your seat?”

His words are amusing, but you might appreciate a little help translating them to something a bit more concrete.  To this end, here are three possible frames you might consider as you search for a new “seat” from which to take in this COVID-19 crisis:

1. Gratitude frame.  Rather than being worried about what is happening, every day look for one or two things to be appreciative of: “I’m so inspired by the way people of all backgrounds are coming together to try to make a difference.”  Or, “What are the gifts that seem to be coming from this?”
2. Learning frame.  Instead of getting caught up with what isn’t happening, or what someone else should do, ask yourself: “What can I learn from what’s happening?”  Or, “How might this help me in the future?”
3. Service frame.  When you get wrapped up in yourself, you just get more uptight and anxious.  However, the moment you find someone else to serve, your feelings, actions and outcomes turn on a dime.  Start with: “Who can I encourage today?”  Or, “What needs am I aware of and can help with?”

When you shift your attention from what’s wrong to what’s possible you will turn powerlessness into possibility, and frustration into fulfillment.  Even when the situation hasn’t changed, you will have. 

This article has been written by DeAnna Murphy – the founder and CEO of People Acuity and principal author of Shift Up! Strengths Strategies for Optimal Living and Choose to See You – in collaboration with co-thought leaders, Lisa Gregory and Steve Jeffs. It includes information about Interdependent Leadership, which starts with helping leaders lead themselves more effectively.  DeAnna is a Top 100 Global Coaching Leader who has provided keynotes and leadership development experiences in 32 countries.  For more information about how you can lead yourself (and others) out of powerlessness and into proactive possibilities, click here.

For the more curious folk, DeAnna was the one who taught me about Strengths philosophy and CliftonStrengths