WHAT WOULD YOU NEVER DO?

For years we have heard the term "think outside the box" but have we lost the true meaning of the phrase? Sometimes overuse of a phrase becomes a cliche that is ignored and under-valued. But it is by thinking outside the box that we truly create, invent, and improve the world in which we live.

Being able to think creatively and openly requires individuals to approach a problem or challenge in a different way. It means leaving your comfort zone and evaluating options from a very different perspective. To effectively identify new and creative solutions, you must be willing and capable of truly allowing your mind and the feedback from others to flow freely while tackling an issue.

Thinking outside the box is effective with the application of a few strategies that will enable you to get out of your own way:

1. Be willing to leave your comfort zone and understand that the process may be uncomfortable at times new ideas can always be a challenge at first.

2. Think about "what you would never do" therein may lie the answer! Explore why you would never do it, what are the consequences, concerns, and possible rewards. You may just find that this leads to your solution.

3. Listen with an ear for hearing and understanding. Absorb the message that others are communicating and truly focus on what they are saying. You'll be surprised how much you can learn and the combination of your thought processes will most likely be greater than either of you individually.

4. Don't judge others who are participating in the process. There are no wrong answers when thinking outside the box. Only new alternatives! Respecting the ideas of everyone is a critical component of the process.

5. Accept that you may occasionally fail every new idea will not be successful but how will you know until you explore, evaluate, and try it?

6. Thinking outside the box may mean that you include other people in the process that are not typically included. Ask your front-line call center staff or your sales associates to participate so you gain a very different perspective on the issues. Allow them to contribute to the thinking and you may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

7. If the sterility and stuffiness of the board room or the conference room stifles creativity, hold your meeting somewhere else to spur more creative thinking.

8. Recognize the value of thinking in a new way and embrace your new-found thinking to solve small and large problems. Thinking outside the box can become contagious and exciting.

Once you start thinking outside the box, you will find that the box is actually an uncomfortable and restrictive place to be. Thinking outside the box may become your norm and your success and the growth of your company will benefit immensely from your new way of thinking!

Get out of your own way and the way of others. Think outside the box and determine what you would never do, and then try it!

Learn more about this author, Zoey Day.
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