Think Outside The Box - A Key Question To Make It Happen

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 adminstrator 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 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.


Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot,com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Create Focus - Eliminate Self Inflicted Distractions

I was trying to focus on my 2008 goals; it's been tough going and my mind kept moving to all the other things I could/should be doing right now. And the idea for this blog came to me. A self inflicted distraction.

I have a lot of them.


My office is in my home - a source of advantage and challenge. Home offices make self inflicted distractions so much easier to acquire. As the year goes by, more and more shoulda's, woulda's and coulda's accumulate in my workspace. You know what I mean - the magazines that need to be read, the books purchased and waiting for attention, the projects that call for completion, the hobbies and interests that never seem to get the attention you'd like to give them. In my case, the fly rod in the corner, just aching to be tried out - the fly tying materials all ready for me to tie some flies.


You know, all the this's and that's that scream out for some attention. And shred our ability to focus on the important few things - and we did it to ourselves.


These distractions make it so easy to start one thing, and then, because it's not going particularly well, turn to one of the other things that ache for attention. The net effect of this scattergun of actions is that nothing gets done well - the operative word being "well." Multi - taskers may argue and say the more you heap on your plate the more you will get done. That doesn't work for me.


So, what to do about this all too common drain on our resources?


Here's my list of actions to take to reduce the number of self inflicted distractions:


First and foremost, you gotta have the most important three to five things in your whole world identified. If you don't, start with that.


Then survey your space - start with the mindset that anything in that workspace that keeps you from achieving your top three to five goals is your enemy - and needs to be destroyed - or at least covered up.


Keep your workspace your workspace. Compartmentalize. Keep work stuff in work areas. Keep non - work stuff somewhere else - far enough away that it requires an effort to get to it. ( I really need to move that fly rod and my fly tying desk to another room.)


Inventory the stuff that comes in to your workspace - the publications, the E Mail subscriptions, the catalogs, the course descriptions, the fyi's from well meaning associates, the stuff that accumulates under the "nice to do" label. Then throw it all out. Face it - if you have to put it aside for any extended period of time, you're not going to get to it. Except -- when you should be really focusing on the truly important few, and they're not going well - and it's so tempting to tell yourself it's time to take a break and read that article you've been meaning to get to for the last six months. Let's see, where is that magazine?


Limit the number of pictures, symbols, artifacts that have the potential to take your mind away from work - and put you back on that sailboat, or putting for an eagle, or winning the "B" group tennis tournamet at the club. Keep the few - and I mean few - things that serve as reminders and focus points about your purpose. Things that can bring your mind back to the reason for the work at hand - things that serve to remind you of why you need to focus on the important few.


Inventory your subscriptions - are they valuable in the present. at work and play, or are they substitutions for the things you want to do, but can't find the time or means to do. Ditch all except for one that can be seen as providing motivation for the reward you'll earn by focusing on the important few.


Hide the little stuff. If you're like me, I can spend an afternoon making sure everything is well organized - at least all the things I can see. I tend to do this when things aren't going well on the important things. Hide the little stuff - it's not that important anyway.


Create the belief that focus creates success - and treat the enemies of focus as - well - enemies. Create the conviction that an hour on focused work on the most important thing is more valuable and effective than a day committed to the completion of thin things. Become convinced of the power of your mind when you use it to really drill into something - it's the most valuable resource you have.


If you have a workspace with a view - terrific. Just set it up so that your line of sight when you are working is not toward the view. You know, see the pretty little bird in the bush - look at the awesome sunset - look at the beautiful clouds -----


Put your three to five top things in writing, and hang/post/frame/wallpaper them where they are constant reminders of what you really gotta spend your time on.


That's my list. Any more than this and I will have created some additional self inflicted distractions - or SID's. Take a look at and identify your own enemies of focus - the things you have done to yourself that keep the power of your focus from reaching its potential. And then act to take back your space.


Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess,blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Think Outside The Box - Develop Your Inner Voice

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 a little click - and the headlight now works fine.

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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.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysucces.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved