• The way we see the problem is the problem. All of us have lenses that we see through. These lenses filter out light distorting what we see. These filters could be how we were brought up, the people we hang out with, the experiences that we have lived through and so on.

Break down a house in a old neighborhood to build your dream house. To you it’s a dream house, to plumbers its piping, to the electrician its wiring, to the trades people it’s a job, to the contractor it’s a business, to the neighbor its noise and disruption.

How can we use this to increase our critical thinking capability.

1. Triangularize: People often think in pair; right or wrong, yes or no, pass or fail, win or lose. The world isn’t binary. Instead, think in threes or more. Always come up with a third option. To do, or not to do, or a third option. In a brainstorming session, people should contribute minimum three ideas.

2. Change the language of your intelligence: Some look at the problem purely logically, some emotionally, some creatively; try looking at things from different perspective and then brainstorm solutions.

Logical. How can we get people to buy from us?
Emotional. How can we get people to get excited about us?
Creative. How can we have people telling others about us at their parties?

3. Break the chains of measurements and measure progress with a different criteria. You limit the solutions by limiting the way you measure the impact; but there isn’t only one way to measure the impact. Make the measure objective and subjective.

Should you advertise in a newspaper? Objective measurement could be how many of your target market could be reached through the newspaper? Subjective measurement could is it befitting for your product to be advertised in this medium?

Action: Define the problem. Define the measurement being used. Define a new measurement. Brainstorm ideas that can be implemented based on the new measurement.

Example: Problem is volunteers are dissatisfied. Measurement is number of days they are absent. New measurement is level of passion among the workforce. Brainstorm ideas to increase passion among the volunteers.

4. Imagine seeing through someone else’s eyes, and how would they look at the problem. It’s like WWJD.

Example: Want to make an awesome presentation to people (or any other problem)? Choose some random letters from the alphabet and list roles with those letters. A: A for Astronaut; Astronaut sees the big picture, so give a holistic view to the audience. B: B for Baker; Baker would serve fresh, so present something fresh and new and hot, instead of old and stale. C: C for (ummmm) someone in construction; they would lay down the foundation first, so lay down the foundation. D … you get the point.

5. Come with solution with varied range in extremity. Come with a usual solution, an unusual and different solution, and perhaps a completely radical solution. Some is obese, how would you solve the problem. Something usual: go on a diet. Something different: start weight lifting. Something radical: live a healthy lifestyle.

How about if you have a very valuable employee who is losing his passion, how would you motivate him? Something usual: give him a raise. Something unusual: give him more responsibility (or give him a corner office with big windows – prestige). Something radical: give him a small company owned business to run.