Great technique for making good decisions

You may have heard the name Edward de Bono? He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2005, and is regarded by many as the leading authority in the field of creative thinking, innovation and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. He created a very useful, simple and effective model for decision making called the ‘Six Thinking Hats’.

The premise of this method is that the human brain thinks in a number of distinct ways which we can choose to deliberately challenged to develop more well rounded and considered decisions. De Bono identifies six distinct directions in which the brain can be challenged, hence the six thinking hats. He describes this tool as “a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved”.

We all have a ‘hat’ or two we prefer using and will naturally use without even realising it. To help make the best possible decision, taking a few minutes to view the options with each ‘hat’ on, you will end up with a well balanced approach to your decision making and better the chances of a great outcome. If you're working with others, you can print them off and hand them around to take turns sharing your thoughts through the lens of the 'hat' you're given. It can feel a little uncomfortable at first, especially when holding a 'hat' that might not come naturally, but trust us, the quality of your decision making will improve from it so give it a go!

This framework works well for all decisions, personal or professional. It can be a great tool for business owners, co-founders, and teams, to ensure everyone’s sharing a perspective and the input can be more broad.

Here’s our interpretation of Edward De Bono’s original work:

BLUE HAT

What is the process for making this decision?

How will I decide what to do and by when?

You might decide to talk it through with your partner, best friend and family, and decide for yourself what’s best. Or you may decide that you will only move forward if you and your partner agree, or if you have your parent’s support. Knowing early on, ‘how’ you will decide and by when, makes it a lot clearer.

RED HAT

How do I feel about it?

Emotion, intuition, gut feel, first response … what does that say? Yes, no, unsure? Feeling like it’s ‘meant to be’ or a sense of anxiety or fear? Tune in and note what it’s telling you.

YELLOW HAT

How great could this be? If all goes well, what’s my/our ideal outcome here?

Yellow hat is all about seeing the sunny side of life – how awesome it could be!

GREEN HAT

Options! What are all the possible options available here?

There are so many possibilities, we can get stuck on one or two options for us to take but focus on really thinking big, what other options are there? How else might this pan out? What other pathways can be developed?

WHITE HAT

What information do I need?

Use facts, not assumptions … you might think it will cost you $800 to study but with a little research, you find its $800 for the course, plus $350 books, plus you will need to travel to classes so another $50 per week. All of which is manageable if you know what you’re dealing with.

BLACK HAT

What are the risks? What could go wrong? What’s missing? What seems ‘off’?

Any course of action has upside and downside, and you’re much better armed to reduce these risks if you see them ahead of time. Putting on the black hat means you’re thinking about what could go wrong, what are the risks and if you do go ahead, how you can mitigate or manage these risks so they don’t hold you back.