Open your mind to the wider potential of your environment – Use de Bono’s PMI tool to better identify new possibilities
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Why take this challenge?
Look beyond your initial reactions to more creative understanding
Hone your ability to better see both sides and new possibilities in things
Find unexpected treasure that you might otherwise walk straight past
I grew up at a time when thinking was a lot more linear than it is now. Creativity was something you either had or you didn’t. So the ideas of Edward de Bono were a revelation to me. His insight into the natural tendencies of the mind, and his techniques for managing them were a joy.
There is a lot more individual creativity about now, but sadly only a very small proportion of it finds its way into business thinking – particularly via teamwork. We know about creativity, but we are often too busy to think about using it as a natural part of our work.
So de Bono’s tools are as important now as they were forty years ago. At least in terms of putting something in place to help us to make creativity more common-place.
One very quick and easy tool to use is PMI. PMI stands for Plus, Minus, Interesting. It reflects the whole tool in three words. The tool is simply a matter of taking a few moments to consider new ideas or options in a balanced way.
This may sound trivial, but if you think back a bit – how often do we do it? How many of the new things that came to us have we deliberately evaluated beyond our initial response? In how many meetings have all those assembled deliberately analysed both sides together, rather than simply taken sides?
By taking a more systematic approach to considering the things we encounter, we can spot new perspectives, new possibilities, new adventures, that we might otherwise miss.
So this week’s adventure is to practice and apply PMI, and to see what it does for you.
+ Green track - taking it in your stride
+ Blue track - a bit of a workout (click to open)
+ Red track - stepping up to bat (click to open)
You may find the following resources helpful in tackling your challenge or in gaining further benefits from the skills and insights you develop
- De Bono’s explanation of creative thinking as a web page and as a PDF
- PMI explanation
- Virtual Timers, including PMI Timer
- Virtual Flipcharts including PMI Virtual Flipchart
To catch up on past adventures you may have missed, feel free to browse our Adventures Library
Let us know how you get on.
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Useful links:
Adventures to date | I did it, but it didn’t work very well | How do I know if it is working
Bringing this thinking into your meetings | Adventure & Mental Health
Leading by Adventure community | Explore Strategic Support options