Some of you may remember I am re-modelling my garden. I use the "I" in the sense of my wife doing the real design but I have become involved at some strategic moments. Part of the work has meant we have had to remove a number of old and diseased trees. We were keen to replace them and have recently planted 6 new trees. We have tried to find mature specimens, balancing size with cost and practicality. The average small tree weighs more than 5 tonnes so getting them in the ground was something to see!
My pride and joy is the cedar below.
Under Belgian planning regulations, we are not allowed to plant trees closer than 2 metres to a boundary, so siting this beauty was a challenge. Half a day of work and there it was - in the wrong place! We had planned to be able to see it from our veranda. Sadly when my wife sat down to enjoy the view, she couldn't see the tree. It was obscured by the wall of the house. Tearful times!
We considered moving it sideways but that proved to be impractical, given it was secured above and below ground. We even thought of planting a new tree in a place nearer the house - also not realistic. That's where the lateral thinking came to the rescue. My wife came up with the idea of moving around the sofas and coffee table in the veranda in a novel way to allow her to sit and to admire the view through the window, without having to move the tree. Happy Times!
This disaster, cleverly averted, reminds me of times when the right answer is not always the obvious answer. Times when you need to take a look at an issue from a different perspective and open yourself to different interpretations and solutions.
Human beings are creatures of habit and associations. Companies are organisms of learned cultures and short-cuts. I suppose it has to be like that to manage everyday personal and business life. No time to waste on the things that are usually the same.
But breakthroughs and innovations so often come from seeing what could be rather than what is.
Edward de Bono is of course most associated with lateral thinking and a reputable industry has grown up around its application. How many of us have had the benefit of wearing those Six Thinking Hats? And how many of us have found them a bad fit? Why is thinking so hard? De Bono and others place great emphasis on how important it is to practice thinking. It's a skill like any other. Practice improves performance.
I have been using a web resource recently that has helped me to stay on my mental game and learn a little in the bargain. The site is called Mind Tools . You might care to take a look. For the record I have no financial interest in this business. All muscles need exercise and some of us do not consider Sudoko to be an end in itself!
My pride and joy is the cedar below.
Under Belgian planning regulations, we are not allowed to plant trees closer than 2 metres to a boundary, so siting this beauty was a challenge. Half a day of work and there it was - in the wrong place! We had planned to be able to see it from our veranda. Sadly when my wife sat down to enjoy the view, she couldn't see the tree. It was obscured by the wall of the house. Tearful times!
We considered moving it sideways but that proved to be impractical, given it was secured above and below ground. We even thought of planting a new tree in a place nearer the house - also not realistic. That's where the lateral thinking came to the rescue. My wife came up with the idea of moving around the sofas and coffee table in the veranda in a novel way to allow her to sit and to admire the view through the window, without having to move the tree. Happy Times!
This disaster, cleverly averted, reminds me of times when the right answer is not always the obvious answer. Times when you need to take a look at an issue from a different perspective and open yourself to different interpretations and solutions.
Human beings are creatures of habit and associations. Companies are organisms of learned cultures and short-cuts. I suppose it has to be like that to manage everyday personal and business life. No time to waste on the things that are usually the same.
But breakthroughs and innovations so often come from seeing what could be rather than what is.
Edward de Bono is of course most associated with lateral thinking and a reputable industry has grown up around its application. How many of us have had the benefit of wearing those Six Thinking Hats? And how many of us have found them a bad fit? Why is thinking so hard? De Bono and others place great emphasis on how important it is to practice thinking. It's a skill like any other. Practice improves performance.
I have been using a web resource recently that has helped me to stay on my mental game and learn a little in the bargain. The site is called Mind Tools . You might care to take a look. For the record I have no financial interest in this business. All muscles need exercise and some of us do not consider Sudoko to be an end in itself!
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