"t-power # 6 — Navigating Book-ends Thinking" — (it's All About The Thinking)

"Book-Ends" thinking is not for everyone. Think about what book-ends do. They support the books but they are not books. They keep books on the shelf but they are not the shelf. They bracket the books without becoming a book. The books, without losing their individual identity, can be rearranged between the book-ends.

"Book-Ends" thinkers care about the focus of the thinking, the path of the thinking, the outcomes of the thinking. They guide the thinking without being of the thinking. They serve as the navigator for the entire course of the thinking without ever doing the thinking.

CURRENT SITUATION — When someone says, "Let's think about it," what are they really saying? In most settings, "thinking" refers to a meandering state of confusion. It is messy. It is unstructured. Arguments abound. Criticism is the modus operendi. Attacks come from all directions. Everyone hopes that someone proposes an ANSWER that everyone can support. Delivery from messiness achieved! However, no structured thinking occurred. No one asked what was to be achieved. No one inserted a process to control the meandering.

ROLE OF THE NAVIGATOR — Navigators keep things on course. They use a range of communication skills to monitor the progress of the thinking. They provide thinkers with unbiased feedback. They may re-state positions of thinkers. They frequently ask questions. They clarify the positions being held by the thinkers. They respond quickly to diffuse arguments. They maintain the thinking strategy by moving people from one kind of thinking to another as necessary. They document outcomes of the thinking. They focus on simplifying the work of the thinkers. Working with the leaders or the pilot, navigators serve as co-pilots — always ready to offer guidance but never flying the plane.

WHO SHOULD NAVIGATE — If you are looking inside your company for a navigator, you want to select someone who understands the thinking processes but who has no direct connection to the outcome of the thinking. The navigator manages the control of the process, not control of the thinking.

In most companies, managers and executives frequently assume the leadership of thinking. However, they may well be the wrong people. Unless they understand when to use each of the different kinds of thinking, they may create unnecessary confusion. Unless managers and executives have previously established a high level of openness and trust within the company, people who are asked to do the thinking will revert to protective behavior. What are the risks to me and my career if I reveal what I really think? How should I behave in this situation?

Although EPROW Images, a company I founded, works with thinkers regularly, the company never takes any kind of ownership of the thinking. We own only the process and the guidance to achieving the defined outcome. We build teams of thinkers who acknowledge their own thinking positions but who possess the flexibility to move from those positions. They combine their thinking with others. They offer different perspectives. They play to their strengths. They recognize their weaknesses with no fear of manipulation or persecution by others. In short, they collaborate successfully.

IN THE END — De Bono refers to "book-ends" thinking as "thinking about thinking." To this kind of thinking, de Bono assigns Blue Hat status. Thinkers are no longer thinking about the topic of the thinking. Rather they are thinking about the kinds of thinking that are needed to achieve the desired outcome. The color blue suggests the sky which covers everything. It also suggests the cool, controlled detachment appropriate for a navigator.

As the Blue Hat sits more and more comfortably on your head, share your learning and understanding with others. If the hat does not fit comfortably, consider shifting the responsibility of navigation to someone who can maintain a disciplined detachment. Then, you are capable of fully participating in the thinking without worrying about the control needed to manage the thinking process. A trusted navigator keeps the thinking on course. A skilled navigator guarantees you will reach your destination. Working with a skilled navigator, you reach your desired outcome.

By: Virginia McBride

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Virginia L. McBride, The Haven Maven Founder, EPROW Images Creator, "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE THINKING" Virginia builds personalized "thinking environments" to strengthen innovative thought. Working with EPROW Images, clients practice thinking-navigation. This practice guarantees disciplined detachment to keep thinking-on-course. To qualify for a free 30-minute consultation, submit a "pitch" through EPROW's PAPPY program => www.eprowimages.com