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

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

Think Outside The Box - Take The Time To Look Up

Think outside the box. How do I do that? I suggest you take the time to look up

A personal story to illustrate my point:

On the Deerfield River, in western Massachusetts, fly fishing, and so intent on the cast, the drift, the possible take, that nothing else mattered. Nothing. And it wasn't going well. No strikes - a fouled leader, snagged in a tree. Damn! All the equipment and fishing bad spirits seemed to be aligned against me. What was I doing? Why was I here?

And then something made me look up. And I looked around. And what I saw was a glorious fall afternoon - high clouds in a blue sky, a river lined with mixed hardwood and pine forests, bright, clean, moving water that glittered with light from the reflection of the sun. The river partially in shadows.

And then something magical happened. Fly fisher's call it 'the hatch" - the time when insects that have lived underwater for a few months to a few years swim to the surface, and become winged insects.

First one at a time, and then by the hundreds, then by the thousands, these flies came off the water, glowed in the sun, and helicoptered into the trees, where they would metamorphose into the last stage of their life, and return to the water, and lay their eggs. Many didn't make it off the water - trout started eating them - and showing their location. The fly fisherman's dream.

And I took a deep breath, and just stood there - loving every minute of being in this special place at this special time.

I'd like to say my fishing fortunes changed - they didn't. But I fished on until it was too late to see, and the late fall temperature had dropped to the point where I could see my breath, and a mist was coming off the water. I loved that day - and I've had a lot of them since - and most of them have had nothing to do with fly fishing.

That day taught me a valuable lesson. I started to look up - not just when fly fishing, but at other times. Things I had seen as chores I found had value that I had not thought of before. Presentations I had been making to groups in the company I worked for took on a uniqueness that had been missing. Routine things I had to do became opportunities to think and process complex issues.

I was learning to look up and see the opportunity, the value, the utility of things I had seen as objects and obligations. It helped me get through some very tough times - it still does. It helped me think outside the box - although I have a hard time explaining exactly what that means. But we all know it when it happens.

We can all benefit by taking the time to look up. and see things in a different light. It doesn't have to take a lot of time - some of the best insights and value shifts can take place with lightning speed. And they don't have to be giant shifts. In fact, very little in our lives creates big shifts in values, attitudes, behaviors, skills. But those little shifts - taken by looking up and seeing what has always been there, are what can make our lives so much richer - in whatever way we define that term.

Try it - look at something you are doing right now - think of it in different terms. Perhaps it's value to others; it's contribution to your enterprise; it's value to your family and to yourself. If you're stuck in the thick of thin things - perthaps some of those thin things - things you have seen as having little importance to you - can be seen as something different - something with impact and value. You'll be richer for the exercise. You'll find your own Deerfield River - your own special place. Then make looking up a habit of thought - think outside your box.

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