Hink Etter: (Your Company's Future Depends On It. - . and So Does Yours)
Hink Etter: (Your Company's Future Depends On It. - . and So Does Yours)
Hink Etter: (Your Company's Future Depends On It. - . and So Does Yours)
TIM HURSON is a co-founder of Thinkx Intellectual Capital Inc., a consulting firm which delivers seminars and
other training on productive thinking and innovation. A graduate of Oberlin College, Mr. Hurson is a faculty
member and trustee of the Creative Education Foundation and a founding director of Facilitators Without
Borders. Mr. Hurson has worked with corporate entities across the spectrum from small nonprofits to Fortune
500 companies helping them create successful innovation, marketing and new product initiatives.
Tim Hurson’s Web site is at www.timhurson.com.
Think Better - Page 1
MAIN IDEA
Success in your personal, business or professional life is less a function of what you know than it is of how well you think. If you can
enhance and upgrade your own productive thinking skills, you’ll generate more options, be equipped to evaluate those options more
rigorously and come up with better and more robust solutions. The better you become at productive thinking, the richer and fuller your
life will become. Learn how to think better and you increase the value of all your activities.
Productive thinking blends together two very different and distinct thinking styles:
• Creative thinking to come up with new and better ideas – expansive breakthroughs from what has been used before.
• Critical thinking where you look at these various new ideas analytically and decide which are workable and which are not.
To create the future you want for yourself and your organization, you first need to be able to envisage and imagine it. Productive
thinking is the best way to do that. Get up to speed with productive thinking and you can create the vibrant future you want.
“Everybody talks about creativity and innovation these days, but very few actually know how to put them into practice. I think you’ll find
that productive thinking is a game changer. It brings the skills to think better out of the closet and presents them in a way that makes
them easy for anyone to grasp and use – so they can think better, work better, and do better in every aspect of their lives. The good
news is productive thinking is a skill that anyone can learn and develop. Regardless of your starting point, you can learn to use your
mind better. Productive thinking can help you think better, work better, and do better in every aspect of your life. The sooner you
begin, the sooner you will benefit.”
– Tim Hurson
Once you know what your ideal Target Future is, you then have When business travelers think of flying, the first airline that
to sit down and figure out how you’ll know when you’ve actually comes to mind is Fly-By-Night because we offer the most
arrived. This is often harder than it sounds. The best way to do sensational middle seats in the industry. Many of our repeat
this is by painting a compelling picture of the future and customers specify they want to fly the middle seat because
harnessing that to pull you in the right direction. they consider them the best seats on the plane. They are so
compelling, in fact, we have documented examples of
Defining what success looks like involves two substeps:
people who have flown our planes just for the fun of it and
1. Conduct an “Imagined Future” exercise – Take a blank piece not because they had somewhere specific they had to get
of paper and write down what it would be like to resolve your to. In short, our middle seats differentiate us because they
itch and live in a future where this has been solved. Make offer an unmatched experience.
your description vivid, graphic and alluring. Write down all the
detail you can muster. Some possibilities:
n Write your company’s annual report once your Target 2. Use the DRIVE tool to list your success criteria
Future has been reached.
n Write a press release announcing the launch of whatever D R I V E
will take you to your Target Future.
n Review how you will describe addressing your itch in the Essential
Do Restrict Invest Values
past tense. Outcome
2. Use the DRIVE tool to list your success criteria – Take a
blank sheet of paper and divide it into five columns headed Strong No safety Maintain Safety 10-point
like this: brand issues a 70% bump in
Sustain-
different. get raised load market
ability
factor share
Sales up Offering Customer
D R I V E hard to $10,000 10%
Profit up satisfact.
copy to get to sales
Essential Morale proof of Improved increase
Do Restrict Invest Values No working
Outcome high concept 10%
regulatory condition
Reports pilot profit
issues for staff
down project growth
Load Become
Customer Approx. 50%
factor is airline of
happy six more
not choice
months requests
n In the first column, list all the things you want your solution Repeat reduced
from Motto: for middle
to do in detail. custom Not price approval “Your seat
n In the second column, list all the things your solution must increased sensitive to pilot business
not do or in other words what you want to prevent Happy on project Move to
is our
happening. landing 70%+
business”
load
n In the third column, list all of the resources you have
factor
available and are willing to invest in making your solution
happen.
n In the fourth column, list all of your personal or “Future Pull is a vital part of achieving any goal, whether it’s the
organizational values which cannot be compromised in solution to a problem, the completion of a task, or getting a ball
providing a solution. into a hoop. Future Pull is a way of making intentions tangible.
n In the fifth and final column, list all of things that must Once you visualize your goal, ideas for achieving it appear
happen for you to consider your solution a success. virtually everywhere. As soon as you establish a concrete
intention, you begin to notice all kinds of things in your world that
“The outcome of this phase is Future Pull: a clear and compelling relate to the intention. Ideas and opportunities seem to appear
vision of a future in which the issue has been resolved, the from nowhere, almost as if by magic. The power of Future Pull is
Target Future has been achieved, and a set of observable that it stimulates the generation of relevant new ideas. It
Success Criteria have been stated that can be used to evaluate stimulates the unexpected connections that are the heart of
both potential solutions and outcomes.” productive and creative thinking.”
– Tim Hurson – Tim Hurson
Think Better - Page 4
C-3n Combine – bring together into one numerous “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”
individual questions that are of the same theme. – Eugene Ionesco, playwright
C-4n Clarify – look at each cluster and name the theme “The silly question is the first intimation of some totally new
which is suggested, and eliminate any duplications. development.”
C-5n Choose – look at all the clusters as a whole and see if – Alfred North Whitehead
there are any obvious overarching themes which have
cropped up again and again. “What’s the question? is a pivotal step in the Productive Thinking
Model. The outcome of this step is a clear articulation of the
By generating lots of options and then narrowing your choices
essential problems or opportunities in the form of one or more
down to the one you consider most important, you have the best
Catalytic Questions that invite ideas for solution. In
available opportunity to come up with a key question everything
organizations, there is a strong tendency in this step to go back to
in your target Future hinges on. Ideally, this will be just one
the tried and true, the safe, the questions that don’t rock the boat
question but if you end up with a few, don’t sweat it. You can
too much. You should avoid this tendency. Find a question that
figure out later on which of the questions gets to the heart of the
sends chills down your spine. There’s a good chance it will lead
matter and which are either repetitious or redundant.
to a solution that warms your heart.”
– Tim Hurson
Think Better - Page 5
2. Converge – once you’ve generated your list, start panning for n Make the middle seat kid-friendly
gold. Ideally here you want to come up between three and six n Have swivelling middle seats
ideas which have the potential to be developed into useful n Make the middle seat higher than those at each side
solutions. Again, this is an application where the C5 tool
… and loads more ideas of all shapes and sizes and in varying
works well:
degrees of feasibility, practicality and workability.
• Cull out any ideas which are really wild.
• Cluster and group similar ideas.
• Combine different clusters into one more robust concept. From this list, three clusters were generated:
• Clarify and label each cluster with a descriptive statement. 1. Enhance the image of the middle seat
• Choose underlying principles common to your clusters.
n Make sitting in the middle seat fashionable or sexy
The last step is then to select which ideas you will work on and
develop further. How many you choose is up to you, but between n Make the middle seat person feel special
three and six is a reasonable working number at this stage. Make n Make the middle seat cheaper
certain you pick ideas which are original and different rather than 2. Reconfigure for more space
those which are more tried and true. If the ideas you pick don’t
n Remove every other middle seat
pan out, you can always come back to your list and select some
other candidates in the future. n Turn middle seat so it faces backwards
n Put middle seat on rails so it can slide back and forward
“I make more mistakes than anyone else I know. And, sooner or
later, I patent most of them.” 3. Offer premium service for the middle seat
– Thomas Edison, inventor n Provide first-class service to the middle seat passengers
“You write down the problem. You think very hard. Then you n Add premium service on the ground
write down the answer.” n Provide access to work centers
– Richard Feynman, Nobel physicist n Position the middle seat as a flying office
“The best way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas, and
then choose the best ones.” From those clusters, three embryonic ideas were selected as the
– Linus Pauling most promising for Fly-by-Night:
“The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into n Turn middle seat so it faces backwards
your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building n Add premium service on the ground
filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and n Position the middle seat as a flying office
creativity will instantly fill it.”
– Dee Hock, founder of VISA
Think Better - Page 6
Turn middle
Polishing the best possible solution involves two substeps:
ü û
seat so
1. Develop an evaluation screen – a grid which allows you to –
it faces
look at whether each raw idea meets a criteria for success, backwards
fails that criteria or is neutral in its impact. Glancing at the grid
as a whole will give you a sense of how each idea stacks up Add
against other alternatives. Perhaps one idea will stand out as
ü û
premium
meeting all your success criteria while others appear weaker, –
service on
or it may be there are a couple of ideas which are in the the ground
running. The evaluation screen gives a good big picture
perspective. Choose whichever idea looks the strongest as
Position the
the best candidate to work with at present.
ü ü
middle seat
2. Use the POWER tool – to try and transform your embryonic –
as a flying
idea into a robust and practical solution. POWER is an office
acronym for:
Key:
P O W E R “ü” The idea meets the given criterion.
“û” The idea does not meet the criterion.
What Enhance “–” The idea neither meets nor does not meet the criterion.
Positives Objection Remedy
else? - ments
On the basis of this evaluation screen, the third idea was
selected for further development. Using the POWER tool and
What’s What are What How How can
creative thinking for the option of “Positioning the middle seat as
good the else might problem
a flying office” looked something like this:
about flaws? might be the be
this idea Why in the positives sorted
and why might idea but be out? P O W E R
might it this idea has not beefed
do well? fail? yet been up and What Enhance-
said? built on? Positives Objection Remedy
else? ments
Work through your idea using the POWER tool and see Could still Partner
Brand
whether it gradually evolves and strengthens into something Elevates be copied Test with office
and
good. You’ll need to do this several times before you’ll really status of Not really market furniture
integrate
have a feel for whether your idea is robust enough to work out middle enough for maker?
into our
in practice. Use of the POWER tool can also be helpful in seat room to demand Trade- image
building a group consensus for the best way to move forward Great fit this in Develop mark a
in the future as an organization. Remove
differentia our a flying name for
alternate
tion planes office our flying
“Ideas are not solutions; they are the raw material of solutions.” seats
Hard to Anyone club? office
– Arthur VanGundy Create
copy if we who is Add class
“The desired outcome of Polish the Best Solution is a clear blinders
do it first working premium Offer
articulation of one or more Powered-Up solutions that meet and
Passeng would ground tools,
Success Criteria, are stress-tested to reveal potential special
er can have service especially
weaknesses, create value for stakeholders, and have a good lighting
stay in privacy as part of connect-
chance of resolving the itch and achieving the Target Future.” concerns product? ivity Enhance
– Tim Hurson touch
our
with This Partner Allow
business
“The primary power of POWER is its ability to transform home product with office to
class and
run-of-the-mill or even weak ideas into robust solutions. If you office will affect others to convert
make it a
begin to use it, I think you’ll see it has many other applications as while our add more into a
premium
well, from defining the key issues in conflict situations to problem flying business value? sleeper
offering
analysis to team building.” class chair
– Tim Hurson
Think Better - Page 7
In conclusion, be aware of what the productive thinking process Also bear in mind there are three other situations where it’s
is and is not. unlikely productive thinking will end up proving to be helpful:
1. When you’re in an urgent situation which needs an obvious
1 Ask: What’s going on? quick fix rather than a brand-new productive solution.
2. When it’s just not worth spending the effort to try and go from
The 2 Define what success is good to great. In those situations, it’s not worth the time and
Productive resources required. You’re better off pushing on with what’s
3 Pinpoint the real problem already available.
Thinking
Model 3. When you don’t have the influence needed to make new
4 List all potential solutions
projects happen within your organization using the
productive thinking process will be impractical. Even if the
5 Polish the best solution
situation is crying out for an innovative solution, if you don’t
have the access to resources or the power to push things
6 Align your resources through, you’d be better off doing something else.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
“The Productive Thinking Model is not a perfect description of – Albert Einstein, scientist
the only way to solve a problem. But it is a useful way. I have “All models are wrong: some are useful.”
seen it work countless times and in dozens of domains. I have – George Box, author
seen it used to solve business problems, clarify sales situations,
develop technical solutions, suggest new products, create “Imagination is the beginning of creation: you imagine what you
marketing campaigns, reduce conflicts, map strategies, desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you
enhance relationships, reduce frustrations, orient careers, and will.”
resolve personal dilemmas. I have seen it help people in finance, – George Bernard Shaw, author
manufacturing, engineering, marketing, politics, government,
science, medicine and family life. Occasionally, I’ve seen it fail. “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable
Still, it’s just a model. It provides direction and guidance, but it is reason why so few engage in it.”
neither absolute nor immutable. I encourage you to use it flexibly, – Henry Ford
adapting it to your own needs, circumstances and thinking “Creativity is not an escape from disciplined thinking. It is an
styles.” escape with disciplined thinking.”
– Tim Hurson – Jerry Hirchberg
To tell when it’s unlikely the Productive Thinking Model will work, “The Productive Thinking Model builds on our natural three-step
use the I3 model: problem-solving process – perceive a problem, pick a solution,
I-1 Influence – Do you personally or does the group you do something – and transforms it into a comprehensive,
belong to have influence over the issue you want to plan? If repeatable six-step framework for thinking better. Simply put,
responding to the challenge is outside your area of productive thinking is a way to come up with better answers. It
authority, it probably won’t be worth spending too much allows you to sidestep the knee-jerk reaction and come up with
time or effort on the Productive Thinking Model. creative, useful and effective solutions. With productive thinking,
you can train yourself to generate more options, better options,
I-2 Importance – Is the issue at hand something that is
important to you personally or your group? If not, you more of the time in almost any situation. Productive thinking
probably won’t be prepared to spend time, effort and provides you with more time and more tools to perceive the
money analyzing what to do anyway. You may be better problem accurately, pick the best solution from a broad range of
waiting for circumstances to change or for minor issues to possibilities, and do something in a way that offers the greatest
sort themselves out. chance of achieving success.”
– Tim Hurson
I-3 Imagination – Generally speaking, the Productive Thinking
Model works best in situations where an innovative “Productive thinking separates creative thinking and critical
solution is required. If the issue can be resolved with an thinking. It is a process of suspending judgment to generate long
off-the-shelf solution, it will be easier and cheaper for you lists of ideas and then returning to those lists to make choices by
to go with that solution than to custom design your own. Not judging the ideas against preestablished success criteria:
every situation needs an innovative solution. making lists and making choices. The productive thinking
If you can answer yes to all of the I3 questions, then it’s likely dynamic is the ongoing alternation between creative thinking
productive thinking is for you. If your answer to any of these and critical thinking. With the right attitude, the right approach,
questions is no, then you either don’t need to use the model at all and the right skills, we can all think better!”
or you should work to restate things in a different way which will – Tim Hurson
meet the I3 criteria.