Think Outside the Box
Think Outside the Box
We hear it all the time: Think outside the box. But, no one has time to think outside the box. It leads to long discussions that don’t go anywhere and don’t solve our problems.
Recently, I attended a conference. Several session leaders asked us to consider new ideas without worrying about how much they would cost or how much staff time they would take—no limits. We were asked to consider the idea, to really give it a chance—to think outside the box. Those sessions were very helpful. Participants felt free to speak their mind. The conversations were NOT long, they DID go somewhere, and they DID (sometimes) solve our problems. Imagine that?!
I brought my enthusiasm back to the office and it’s been great. In our staff meetings, we’re more open to discussions of “what if” and “have we ever tried this.” That’s a good start for us.
Sometimes we get bogged down in our day-to-day work—the things we must get done right now. We don’t think we have time to consider new ideas or different ways of doing what we’re already doing. But, if we take a moment every now and then to honestly (which is the key) consider ideas outside the box, we may find, it’s not so difficult or scary after all.
Get out of your box and see what ideas are waiting for you.