This week I have been poring through textbooks as I prepare to teach some on-line Master’s levels courses this fall. As I prep, I am reminded how much learning occurs through the ‘doing’ process. Learning is a journey that challenges our assumptions and helps us learn to think in new ways. The process of thinking differently must also occur outside of the classroom and is a critical ingredient in successful organizations.Warren Bennis, often considered the father of contemporary leadership, listed creativity and thinking outside-the-box as one of the most important leadership qualities.
Gareth Morgan, an organizational development expert provides a great reminder of the importance of this skill:
“Skilled leaders and managers develop the knack of reading situations with various scenarios in mind and of forging actions that seem appropriate to the understandings thus obtained. They have a capacity to remain open and flexible, suspending immediate judgement whenever possible until a more comprehensive view of the situation emerges. They are aware that new insights often arise as one approaches situations from ‘new angles’ and that a wide and varied assessment can create a wide and varied range of action possibilities. Less effective managers and problem solvers, however, seem to interpret everything from a fixed standpoint. As a result, the frequently hit blocks they cannot get around; their actions and behaviors are often rigid and inflexible.”
Nurturing the ability to see things differently takes time and effort. As you consider the need to look at old challenges in new ways, here are a few of my favorite quotes to inspire you:
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. F.Scott Fitzgerald
A person who never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein
People will not believe what does not fit in with their plans or suit their prearrangements. Barbara Tuchman
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein
Doubt is not a pleasant condition but certainty is absurd. Voltaire
2 Comments
I’ve come across most of these quotes and I must say you’ve hit several favorites. Also, I just love Fitzgerald.
It sometimes feels like leadership can be a lonely journey, but this makes sense, especially as you’ve pointed out: it requires a different level of thinking. Visionaries.
Great insight!
Thanks for the comment! Not only is visionary thinking ahead of the curve, it often requires us to do something different or against-the-grain. I believe this also contributes to the lonely aspect of the journey at times.