Have A Problem? Put On A Hat

The concept of the six thinking hats was devised by Edward de Bono in 1985. It’s a problem-solving strategy that uses parallel thinking, which is a thinking process similar that splits the focus into different parallel tracks. This strategy is commonly used in debates, where we take one topic at a time and focus a specific set of questions in order to reach specific answers.

Using this thinking process may sound complicated. But really, it’s a way of problem-solving that increases not just productivity but the ability to make clear and focused decisions. By simply dividing the decision-making process into six precise focal points, we can analyze any problem thoroughly and efficiently. All we do is put on a metaphorical hat.

The White Hat

We start with the white hat. This is our information hat and it’s sole purpose is to help us focus on collecting facts. This is the hat for list creation, file gathering, and any other source of factual data gathering.

When we wear the white hat, we want to be objective and analytical. As we gather the facts, we want to we weigh them, determining if they are relevant individually and seeing if they form a whole picture collectively. This is where we can find data holes, where we then redirect our collection efforts to fill those gaps.

The Yellow Hat

Once we have all the facts gathered, we switch to our yellow hat. This is the hat of optimism and our focus is to highlight all the positives our challenge or problem has. We want to know the benefits, the inherent value, the potential gains.

Instead of being restricted to facts, the yellow hat is about unbridled positivity. The sky is the limit when we imagine the upside and potential. We don’t want to even consider restrictions or boundaries, but rather we want to fall into imagining what could be. This is when we embrace the unlimited possibility of success.

The Black Hat

Now that we’ve embraced all that potential upside, we put on the black hat and focus on facing all the difficulties our problem presents. This is the hat of judgement and we really want to focus on all the possible consequences failure could bring. It may feel that this is a very negative hat, but it’s actually the opposite. We don’t brood in the potential failure, but instead look for weak spots.

When we identify the areas that need work, we can figure out if we have the skills, resources, or knowledge to succeed. We aren’t looking to get lost in all the downside, but rather this is the hat for caution. We want to be sure we aren’t being impulsive, and have weighed how, where, and why things could potentially go wrong. From there, we can move to a different hat to problem solve our way through these potential pitfalls.

The Red Hat

Now that we have our facts, what success looks like, and what potential obstacles could be, we turn to our red hat. Red is the color of emotion, which is what we want to fall into now. This is the hat where we allow out gut reactions to think through the problem. Does it makes us afraid, happy, leery? And can we feel our way through those answers?

Instead of guiding our planning through logic, this is the time to embrace instinct and intuition. Does a certain path feel right? Should we try something new or perhaps even unorthodox? This hat allows us to explore ideas and solutions that we may not allow ourselves otherwise. And in doing so, we may find new paths forward, or figure out a way to overcome obstacles in unique ways.

The Green Hat

Intuitively, the next step from emotion is to embrace our creativity. Our gut-instincts are going to get that part of our brain churning for new ideas, so once we start down a new path we put on our green hat.

When we wear the green hat, we aren’t letting ourselves be constrained with rules or parameters. This isn’t the time for logic, but how can we side-step boundaries, or better yet, come up with new steps altogether. By allowing ourselves to explore any and every possible solution, we often end up finding surprising and innovation new solutions.

The Blue Hat

Finally, we put on the blue hat. This is considered the management hat and when we’re wearing it, we’re focused on the big picture steps to achieve our goal. Our job when we’re wearing the blue hat is to manage the other hats.

At this point, we should have a clear idea of what our problem is, how we think we should resolve it, any obstacles that might pop up, and several paths forward. The role of the blue hat is to make sure we use all these relevant points to come up with an action plan and continue working through any problems that come up.

We can move through the hats in whatever order is necessary, and often, will have to change hats as new information or obstacles arise. Which means there is no wrong way to approach this type of thinking process. In fact, often in corporate settings meetings will start with the blue hat to delegate teams and understand the big picture goals. We can use that approach too, assigning times or setting a specific schedule to dedicate to each hat.

Conclusion

When we use the six hat method to solve our problems, we exercise our entire brain. We use emotion, logic, analysis, creativity, and intuition. Each focus on a specific type of thinking activates different types of thinking. We can adapt the hat method to suit almost any situation that requires new solutions or creative answers. Further, we can change the order we focus on problems to hone in on answers faster.

Since we naturally tend towards specific thinking habits, using the six hat method pushes us out of our comfort zone, forcing our brain to pay attention as we work through each hat’s purpose. The more we use the six hat method, the more cohesively we approach problem-solving and whole brain thinking processes. Engaging our whole brain strengthens neural pathways and promotes neural plasticity, which can help keep our brain faster, healthier, and stronger as we age.