mprove Yourself Saturdays - Six Thinking Hats Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

It's so very hard making decisions. And I'm not talking about what to get at Starbucks (useless fact: there are 87,000 possible drink combinations there). I'm talking about life decisions; ones that possibly affect your life, and maybe even those close to you.

When faced with something like that, many of us - unless you've been blessed with quick problem-solving skills - freeze. We become indecisive. What if I make the wrong decision? It will affect me, my kids, my spouse, my friend....the list goes on. We all know the consequences of bad decisions made in the past. Who wants to do that again? Not me.

There is a way to break down all the elements, assess the situation from every angle, and hopefully, make the best choice you can possibly make at that moment.



Put on Your Party Hats!

It's called the Six Thinking Hats method. It's not new. It's a book by the same name by Edward De Bono.

Six Thinking Hats uses parallel thinking (a concept invented by De Bono) as a way to get brains to think more effectively. We do think in many different ways, and De Bono's theory is that we have to challenge those different ways in order to come up with creative solutions and "think outside the box."

De Bono wants you to put on different hats. Six, to be exact. It's useful on a personal level (should I switch jobs? Should I marry this person? Should I move to Indonesia?) or on a work level, in which there are many distinct and contrasting thinking styles and ideas between everyone at your office (if you've ever worked in a group on a project, you know exactly what I mean. It can be infuriating).

So sit down, grab a piece of paper and gather your hats. You can even pretend you're going to the Kentucky Derby with them. Ignore the strange looks from others.



Here's how you use Six Thinking Hats:

1. Write down the problem/issue/decision you have to make. In the next steps, you're going to put on imaginary hats. Your brain can only think in the way that the hat thinks. In other words, it can only see the world through the thinking pattern of that particular hat.



2. Write White Hat. Your mind can now only see the problem through factual information. You're a realist and can only look at it from a factual standpoint. What information do I have? What are the facts? What neutral, objective things do I know about this problem?

Facts
Information
Neutrality
Objective


3. Write Red Hat. Now you put on your attention-grabbing bright red hat. You can only see the problem through your intuition. What's your gut reaction to this problem (the first feeling or thought is usually the most accurate). Don't overanalyze the issue, like you did with your White Hat. Also think about how others will react emotionally. How will your dad react when you tell him you're going into the Peace Corps?

Intuition
Gut Reaction
Feelings
Others' Emotions


4. Black Hat comes next. No, you're not going to a funeral, but you are going to be Debbie Downer. Think negatively about the problem. Put up your defenses, pretend the issue is your sworn enemy and think about everything that could possibly go wrong with each possible decision or outcome. Be very critical, because Black Hat identifies the cracks - the weak points - in your plan. This is not a bad thing. You need to know what will go wrong so you can come up with alternative routes if your decision starts to crumble.

Negative Thinking
Defensive Thinking
What Could Go Wrong?
Critical
What Are The Weak Points?


5. The Yellow Hat is all sunshine and rainbows. Pollyanna, watch out! You're probably a little down after wearing that Black Hat so this should come as a relief. Look at the situation from a positive standpoint. Pour out all that optimism you have bubbling up inside of you. What are the benefits of each outcome? What are the different ways life will be great if the plan goes the way you want it to? This can also be a motivational hat: as you're going through the process later, look back at what you wrote under this hat, then carry on with with a big smile on your face!

Positive Thinking
Optimism
Benefits
Motivation


6. The Green Hat is the artist and the creator. Channel Pablo Picasso or Steve Jobs. Think of all the creative ideas and solutions to the problem. This is like a brainstorming session, in which no idea is too silly or stupid to consider. Don't criticize anything that comes out of that clever, innovative mind of yours. Embrace all that is seemingly weird or different.

Sometimes being creative is impossible. As soon as you put your Green Hat on, you noticed your Muse stealthfully sneaking out the window. Great. Now what? There are so many ways to get creative: lay on the couch, close your eyes and listen to your favorite music through headphones (let your mind wander); The Creative Whack Pack, go out in nature, distract yourself, put every idea on Post-It notes and spread them around you...there are millions of ways. Find what works for you.

Creative Thinking
Innovate
Brainstorming
No Idea Is Bad


7. Put on the Blue Hat and you are the CEO of your own empire. Your only interests are process control, organization and agendas. You are calm, cool and in control. And the best part about being CEO? You rely on others to help you do the thinking. You are the manager of the other hats and your main goal is thinking about thinking. You are the observer and overview the ideas in which the other hats conceived.

CEO mindset
Processes
Organization
Agendas
In Control
Thinking About Thinking
Manager Of The Other Hats
The Observer


8. I think you'll have a better idea as to what your best decision and plan are after having fun with the Six Hats. I have used it a few times and it works wonders.



Of course, the point of The Six Hats is to make the best decision possible at that moment, with all the information you have available to you. Just as important, it also shows that each way of thinking has its use - even negative thinking. There are so many books and webinars and seminars out there trying to train everyone on the "right way" of thinking. But there is no right way of thinking; our brains have negative, positive, creative, analytical, intutive and organizational ways of thinking for a reason: we need them all! We need to channel each one so we can be happy, healthy and live the best life we can.