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The document discusses productive thinking and a six step process for productive thinking. [1] The six steps are: ask probing questions to understand the problem, [2] define what success looks like, [3] identify the core problem question, [4] generate potential solutions, [5] refine the best solution, and [6] align resources to implement the best solution. The document argues that developing productive thinking skills can help individuals and organizations achieve better outcomes in their work and lives.

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245 views

Think Better 0

The document discusses productive thinking and a six step process for productive thinking. [1] The six steps are: ask probing questions to understand the problem, [2] define what success looks like, [3] identify the core problem question, [4] generate potential solutions, [5] refine the best solution, and [6] align resources to implement the best solution. The document argues that developing productive thinking skills can help individuals and organizations achieve better outcomes in their work and lives.

Uploaded by

ethernalx
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THINK BETTER

(Your Company’s Future Depends


on it. . . and So Does Yours)
TIM HURSON

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

The Six Step Productive Thinking Process

Step 1 is all about creating the right context for action.


To fully explore a situation, ask probing questions:
1 Ask: What’s going on? • What exactly needs fixing here? Page 2
• What is the impact of this problem on our performance?
• What do we know already and who are the key players?
• What would an ideal solution to this problem look like?

In step 2, you’re starting to create an enticing


future which pulls you towards a robust solution.
2 Define what success is Page 3
• Imagine what it would be like to live in your ideal future.
• Develop some specific, measurable success indicators.

Step 3 is to come up with your “catalytic question”


– the essential question that must be answered
Pinpoint the real problem to achieve your ideal or target future. Page 4
3
• Diverge – generate a list of possible problem questions.
• Converge – choose a few salient and then one key question.

Step 4 is where you generate lots and lots of potential


solutions – the more the better. Don’t worry at this stage
about the quality of your ideas, just come up with lots. Page 5
4 List all potential solutions
• Diverge – list all rational, irrational and composite ideas.
• Converge – identify the 3 - 5 best sounding options.

Step 5 involves taking the best embryonic idea you’ve come


up with and polishing it into a robust workable solution.
5 Polish the best solution • Identify which idea meets the success criteria you’ve set. Page 6
• Take that idea and improve, refine it and stress-test it.

Step 6 is where you prepare for action by aligning all of your


organizational resources behind the best available solution.
• List all the action steps required to make it happen.
6 Align your resources • Identify all your allies and all your potential obstacle people. Pages 7 - 8
• Make someone accountable for each action step required.
• Put the steps in their optimal order or sequence.
• Identify any additional resources which must be acquired.
• Observe and record the outcome of each step.

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