Thinking – it doesn’t have to hurt
We are now ‘t minus one week’ until Edward de Bono arrives in New Zealand. While I’m not expecting a ‘Justin Bieber’ type media frenzy to happen (although who knows? Edward’s red socks do have a bit of a following in NZ), the HRINZ team are preparing for a busy week all the same while we host Edward during his stay.
Edward will be in New Zealand to again talk about ‘Ideas’ – or rather the ability to embrace thinking which encourages ‘ideas’.
Wikipedia defines ‘Ideas’ as: In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images.[1] Many philosophers consider ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being.
The capacity to create and understand the meaning of ideas is considered to be an essential and defining feature of human beings.
In a popular sense, an idea arises in a reflex, spontaneous manner, even without thinking or serious reflection, for example, when we talk about the idea of a person or a place.
The ‘reflex, spontaneous manner’ of ideas is what intrigues me personally. For myself, I know my best ideas are only created when I truly slow down. They don’t come to me while I am sitting at my keyboard staring into my computer screen – which is typically when I am getting ‘paid to work’. In fact a lot of my ideas come to me in the weekend, when my head has the ‘space’ and change of scenery which allows room in my mind for the new ideas to jump in. A bit like that McDonald’s TV advertisement, when a new random fact can only be stored, if space is created by removing another stored fact.
A great enjoyment of mine is cycling, and I have solved many a problem in my head while cycling around the coast of Wellington. It’s not uncommon for me to come into work on a Monday and spend the day beginning every other sentence with ‘I had an idea in the weekend’ – which invariably creates a roll of the eyes from at least someone in the team telling me to ‘stop thinking about work in the weekend’.
I believe that while we get paid to do a job which is typically Monday-Friday, we shouldn’t be afraid to let the mind wander in the weekend (nor should we be expecting overtime rates) if that happens to be when your best ideas are created. To be engaged in your work is to constantly be open to better thinking and ideas. How many great ideas have come to you in the middle of the night? Or as you mindlessly cleaned your teeth? It is these sort of random mindless activities which have the most value for the best thinking and should be encouraged. For those employees who put up the ‘Closed’ sign as soon as you walk out of your workplace door – think again…or at least be open to thinking – you could be missing out on the best idea of the year (and imagine the pay rise if you truly cracked the jackpot for your employer)! Or as Edward de Bono would say ‘Think – Before it is Too Late’.
What I want to know is where do you do your best thinking? How do you encourage better thinking spaces for yourself and your team?
P.S. For those looking for a quick solution to better thinking, Edward’s events probably won’t be for you. For those looking for a ‘stretch’ and something to ignite better thinking in your own lives, then Edward’s presentation will be for you – if you can, try and see him either in Auckland on Wednesday 12th May (at the ‘Nine to 9’ conference as a Keynote speaker) or the public event in Wellington on Friday 14th May.
This concept needs to be entrenched in workplace culture. Some workplaces are really good at encouraging you put forward ideas and then carry through with the good ones, rewarding you for your innovation. Others often say they are open to new ideas but then don’t do anything with them and so employees become despondent. I think it’s hugely important for organisations to take this more seriously and encourage idea sharing in the workplace. And in answer to your question, I too do my best thinking while cycling…might see you out there Keri!
There seems to be a natural process of coming up with an idea – thinking about it – then actually doing something about it to make it happen. I consider myself to have a problem of having too many ideas and thinking too much about them. My mind tends to wander off on a bike ride of its own thinking about the idea and how cool it would be if it became a reality.
Another point that relates to this is an article I read about the “flow experience” and how time seems to disappear when you get engrossed in something. It talked about the process of thinking taking over your sense of time – or that really cool feeling when time passes by very quickly when you’re having fun. I.e. “time flys when you’re having fun…”
I love the times when I have a really cool idea and can’t stop thinking about it and all the worries in the world disappear as I get stuck into the process of making it happen. I only wish this would happen more with my work!
Maybe you and your colleagues could have team meetings in the form of work bikerides!?
Oh I love the idea of team meetings on bikes! Perhaps solo rides for getting the ‘ideas’, and then a group ride to work out strategy of how to make it happen – although I think cycle wind trainers may be a safer option for the group/team rides (especially with some of the Airport Flyer buses I have witnessed around Wellington streets lately – but that’s a whole other blog I think…). Happy thinking & ‘making it happen’.