Think Inside the Box

It’s an old saying, but you know it, and it’s still used today. “Think outside the box.”

Managers sometimes say it to encourage a subordinate to come up with a creative solution. You’ll often hear the phrase at the beginning of a group brainstorm session.

But, if you really want to come up with creative ideas, more quickly, may I suggest thinking inside the box.

Here’s what I mean: Creativity comes from restraints. It comes from erecting barriers or borders around the problem or goal. And we tend to be more productive when we face deadlines.

Thinking inside the box puts focus on our creativity.

Here are a couple of examples:

“How do I make my presentation more interesting?” is too broad of a question. “How do I improve my presentation opener?” narrows it down a bit more. “How do I improve presentation opener without using a slide?” is narrower still. “What’s the best way to improve my presentation opener using only a whiteboard?” is even narrower. That’s thinking inside the box.

Do you remember the genesis of the “Houston, we have a problem…” line in the movie, Apollo 13? The astronauts’ service module was losing power and oxygen fast. They had to figure out a way to filter out the CO2 using only materials they had on board. And it was like putting a square peg in a round hole. They ended up using a piece of cardboard, a plastic bag, a hose from a pressure suit, duct tape and a sock to connect the command module scrubbers.

Ironically, Ken Mattingly, played by Gary Sinise in the movie, who was “scrubbed” from the mission because of exposure to the German measles, which he ended up not having, came up with the solution.

Time constraint (they only had a limited number of minutes) and variable constraint (they only had a limited number of potential items) helped generate that life-saving solution. Thinking inside the box.

Thinking inside the box works in all sorts of sales situations.

You can use it to create all-win solutions in your client negotiations. “How do I satisfy my client’s demand for a discount and my CFO who wants to protect our margins?” is a good brainstorm question. “How do I satisfy my client looking for a better deal without discounting?” is a better question because it adds a helpful constraint. “How do I satisfy my client looking for a better deal without discounting my price or giving them free professional services?” adds another constraint. And so on. Focused creativity.

Thinking inside the box means you’re free to come up with any idea you want, as long as you stay within those boundaries.

Whenever I do this, my creativity seems to improve, as does my self-confidence. And I get to solutions faster.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Have a great week!

Bob

P.S. Next month I’m releasing my new and improved “Building Multiple Coaches” mini-course. There will be limited enrollment, and current clients and newsletter subscribers are offered it first, followed by LinkedIn connections and followers. Look for a separate email from me this week.

P.P.S. Once a week, I send out a free email like this to my subscribers. To get your own copy, sign up at www.labarberagroupuniversity.com/free-newsletter.