Getting Beyond the Boundaries
Breakthroughs in thinking require a willingness to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone. This allows us to get past “the way it has always been done.”
Here’s a little test to see if you are more of a “left brain thinker” or a “right brain thinker”. Move quickly, write your answers down, go with the first answer that pops into your head.
- Do you usually have a place for everything?
a) Yes
b) No
- In thinking about your day’s activities, which is most typical of your style?
a) I make a list of all the things I need to do, people to see, etc.
b) I just let it happen.
- Which best describes you?
a) I would not rely on hunches to help me make important decisions.
b) I frequently have strong hunches and follow them.
- You think of daydreaming as:
a) A waste of time.
b) A viable tool for planning my future.
- In a problem-solving situation, you:
a) Think about it, write down all the alternatives, arrange them according to priorities and then pick the best solution.
b) Wait to see if the situation will right itself.
- In school, you preferred:a) Algebra
b) Geometry
- Sit in a relaxed position and clasp your hands. Which thumb is on top?
a) Your right
b) Your left
- When you want to remember directions, youa) Write notes.
b) Visualize the information.
- In sports or performance, do you often perform better than your training and natural abilities warrant?a) No
b) Yes
- You learn athletics and dancing better by:
a) Learning the sequence and repeating the steps mentally.
b) Getting the feel of the music or game.
Let’s Total Them Up!
Add up your a’s & b’s.
If you answered “a”, 5 or more as then you are generally a left brain thinker.
If you answered mostly b’s, then you tend to be more right-brained.
The concept of right brain thinking and left brain thinking boundaries are broken when we engage the whole brain, which happens when you generate an innovative idea.
While your right brain is developing the idea, your left brain is communicating that idea and gather more information that might make that idea better.
Innovative thinking requires that we break out of our comfort zone, have fun, and be creative!
“A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.”
-Sir Barnett Cocks
Lon Safko
Serial Innovator, Keynote Speaker, Trainer, Innovative Thinking
Tags: innovative thinking, creative, creative thinking, Innovation, critical thinking definition, innovation definition, critical thinking skills, creative process
