Thinking outside the box comes in lots of different sizes - from the smallest to the really big, sweeping, high leverage things. And while the really big, important changes that occur get the most attention, and are the most sought after, the sum total of all the little changes and habits of thought that happen every day are what lead to the really big stuff. And that's where our inner voices play such a big role in helping us think outside our boxes.
A story on myself that occurred in the last week - titled:
The Faucet and the Headlight
The Faucet: For some time, the kitchen faucet had been leaking, A pain in the butt. I replaced the whole unit about a year ago and here it was - once more - leaking and causing problems. The only solution was to go to Home Depot, get the repair kit, disassemble the faucet and correct the problem. That was on my to - do list for weeks - the faucet only leaked while in use so I kept a towel wrapped around it to absorb the leakage. Yesterday, my inner voice said " Andy, before going to Home Depot, take another look. Could it be something else?" I did - it was. The fitting for the flexible hose was leaking - a few turns with a pliers to tighten it - no more leak.
The Headlight: My wife's car was repaired after a front end collision. The right low beam headlight began to go out intermittently. I took it back to the repair shop - they said it was a loose connection, and fixed it. Not. So I checked the connection. I pushed the connector in as hard as I could into the headlight socket - and it worked - for a little while. The next step was to take it to the dealer to get it fixed - and probably replaced. I took another look. I had been pushing the connector into the socket as hard as I could. My inner voice said " Andy, how about pulling on the connector rather than pushing it in as hard as you can?" I did, I heard and felt a little click - and the headlight now works fine.
How often do we let a particular course of action become the only way to do something - even when outcomes are telling us it's not working? How often do we become so focused on a particular solution that we don't seek out the little adjustments that can make the difference between success and frustration? How often do we become convinced of the rightness of our ways and not seek help from outside our little self - made fortresses? If you're like me, that happens a lot. And most times it's OK, but thank goodness my inner voice called to me about The Faucet and the Headlight - my inner voice saved me time, money and energy.
Cultivating our inner voice - listening to it in the little things, creates a habit of thought that helps us use that skill in the big things as well. Being able to step back - define alternatives - take a different look - ask for and accept input from others - ask the "What If's" and the "Something Else's" - trust our inner voice - are the behaviors of successful people.
I'll bet you can think of your own Faucet and Headlight stories. If you're like me I smile and shake my head and use what I've learned from them to keep reminding me to stay open to possibilities - on all levels.
In addition, I'm feeling pretty good right now - no faucet leak and no trip to the repair shop. Life's just a little bit better - thanks, inner voice.
Think outside the box - how to do that? My experience tells me to look to others, ask the key question "what do you think?" and then use collective thinking to form a solution no one person would be capable of coming up with. The most important belief in thinking outside the box is that the product of focused thought and collaboration and communication of a knowledgeable group is the best way to arrive at new and unique solutions.
That belief starts with the understanding that each of us has our own set of experiences, beliefs, attitudes and values - and each is different. Sometimes very different. And those differences are where strength and competitive advantage can be found.
A story to illustrate the point:
In an aircraft component manufacturer, safety was a big issue. Lots of accidents, lots of lost days of work for valuable employees. The Safety Director was hauled up to monthly Safety meetings and given verbal beatings about the bad performance. He did all the safety things - posters, reports, supervisor training - but nothing changed.
And then the leadership of the organization changed - safety was just one of many performance problems.
The new leader saw safety improvement as a first priority. He also saw that outside the box thinking and behavior were needed. The first act of outside the box thinking was to recruit the collective genius of the experts already working in the company. Teams were established to deal with the safety issues that had caused the most injuries. The first question each team was asked was " What do you think is the cause of the problem, and what do you think can be done to fix it?" The teams were composed of the people that knew the most about the issues, the people most affected by the issues, and the people that could most effect change in the behaviors and conditions that caused the safety problem.
The Safety Director became the administrator and coordinator of the various team's efforts; the managers of the areas where accidents, unsafe conditions and unsafe behaviors existed or had occurred became accountable for the record of safety in their area; the periodic safety meetings were conducted by the leader of the organization.
No additional talent was added to make all this happen.
Within a year of this outside the box thinking and behavior, this business unit became the safest business in the corporation. I know that happened - I was the new VP of Administration that worked closely with the new President to make the changes that made safety performance a real success. That kind of outside the box thinking - new to what had been a very authoritarian business - was also introduced into quality issues, information systems changes, process improvement and a host of other areas.
In all these cases, the key question that started the process of improvement was " What do you think?" Behind that question was the belief that virtually all the issues in the organization could be solved - or improved - through the people in the organization. The result was an improvement in all areas of measurement - safety, productivity, on time shipments, reduction in scrap and rework, and increased profit. It wasn't easy - and a number of people simply weren't able or willing to change their own behavior and beliefs. They were replaced.
When it comes to outside the box thinking, this approach is outside the box for many organizations. But it works. And the challenges of making it work are minimal compared the the improvements in so many measures of success.
Here are some suggestions to make it happen:
-Start with a problem, issue or condition that has high visibility
-Assemble a knowledgeable team of experts - the people closest to the problem and to the potential solutions - the people who do the work
-State the problem, and make it clear that all possibilities will be honored
-Ask the question " What do you think?"
-Create opportunity for communication and collaboration
-Assure that filters to communication are removed - assure that communication flows in every direction - not just through one point of authority
-Be patient - particularly in organizations where individual initiative has been squashed
-Be ready to accept some findings and solutions that will be out of the ordinary
And then watch the energy and accomplishment grow.
Andrew Cox has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Travel and Leisure and Politics. 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. Andrew Cox's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.