Day 6

Subject: Time to think outside the box, [firstname].

Hi [firstname],

In today’s installment I want to talk about the importance of innovation and creative thinking in leadership.

As a leader you’ll have to make decisions every day.  Sometimes these decisions will not have a precedent or offer a clear solution right off the bat. 

You’ll need to invent new solutions – and that means “thinking outside the box”.

In order to do that effectively, you’ll need to learn how to think analytically.  This means being observant. Take in information using all of your senses.  Be curious. Learn how things work.  See how a solution to one problem can be applied to another one.

If you’re faced with a problem you need to figure out what caused it – why it happened and how you can prevent it from happening again. This requires listening and communication skills.

You also need to think strategically and anticipate what future outcomes will be – if this, then that; if not this then what?  Plan for best and worst case scenarios.

The medical profession has thrived on this kind of thinking for years.  In order to diagnose an illness a doctor needs to analyze the situation, take note of symptoms, see how the disease occurred and how it can be cured and prevented, formulate a treatment and plan for the best and worst outcomes.

Outside the box thinking is something successful entrepreneurs do every day.  Many come up with something that will solve a problem in ways nobody has thought of before.  For example, I’m writing this e-mail on my laptop.  Microcomputers (the forerunners of PCs) had been around since the 1970’s, but it took out of the box thinking to take those components and make them portable (well, “luggable” compared to today’s laptops) in the 1980’s. 

Out of the box thinking can help you to become a leader in any field.

Warmly,

[Your Name]

PS. Your copy of my leadership guide is waiting for you here: [link to sales age].



