Think out the Box

“Think out of the BOX” has always been the buzz word and I suppose it will continue to be.

But what exactly is Thinking out of the Box. Simply said it just means approaching the problems in a new way and understanding your position with respect to the problem in a manner you have never thought before.?As simple it sounds, it is tough to actually implement it when faced with a challenge.

So, how does one develop the ability to confront problems in ways other than the old ways? How does a Leader cultivate the ability to look at things differently?

This requires some conscious effort in that direction because it involves pushing yourself to NOT think in a manner you have always thought.

In my experience, I have discovered two approaches that have worked for me and I wish to share the same:?

A. Be open to learning from your peers (within and outside your industry):?

Often what you feel is a problem being part of a particular industry, could have been resolved by someone in another industry. Let me explain this with the help of an example. One of my coachees who is heading the audit role in an Engineering company reached out to me with a specific problem - The issue was she was in a role that was super niche and relevant to only one industry, how could she grow and create impact as a Leader as she felt she was already doing everything in her capacity. She felt limited in her current place and certainly, this called for an out of box thinking.?

During our conversation, I?asked her one question - “How many people are there in this world who do the job she does? Can she make an attempt to connect with them to bring them together and identify the Best Practices in the world that will help her improve her output in the current role and also create an impact at a larger level?”

You may wonder why I asked her to think like that. This is a result of my being a banker for more than 15 years where there is an association of bankers that provides a platform to get together the best practices together. This was a novel thought for her and it came from a person who has had experience in another industry. Had she tried to find the answer for this from her organization or her own peers, she may not have received this thought. Therefore, Learning from your peers from across the industry and drawing on their strengths helps.?

Never restrict yourself to only what you do and what you have done. Out of Box thinking is always about doing something you have not done so far.?

B. Approach the problem as if there is NO BOX. Yes, it is a somewhat radical thought. Not sure, if you are ready to read this.?“Believing you are in a BOX” is a limiting thought where you subconsciously put boundaries to your thoughts and struggle to get out of the box to start thinking. Constant dependency on the past and its failures will be a non-starter. Always ask yourself - “What would you do if there were nothing to stop you?” Constant inquiry into what are the stoppers in your progress and the quest for continuous improvement will help you develop a habit of allowing novel thoughts and ideas to flow through you.?

Constant dependency on the past and its failures will be a non-starter.

Remember In Leadership, everything can be outsourced, but the only thing that cannot be outsourced and that you have to do is “Make Decision”?

Great organizations like Amazon, Apple have emerged from a leadership mindset where they had not set boundaries to their vision.?

How do you develop this habit of learning, you can click here to understand the simple ways that you can adopt it in your daily life.

If you wonder why I do what I do, you can read my purpose story here

If you are a mid-senior level professional, looking to accelerate your growth on your journey to CXO or an Impactful leader, visit CXO Incubator and learn about our Executive Group Coaching Program.

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