Six Thinking Hats - Edward De Bono

My first forray into philosophy and I didn't even realise! I picked up a copy of this book at my local library, as I was looking for something along the lines of 'how to improve your prospects at work', etc (ie management techniques). I was already familiar with de Bono's name, as he became well knonw in the media in the 1990's, but I did not take the oppporutnity to read his works then.

This book dates back to that era, and their ...
...same lines, but I think the essence of his ideas are encapsulated in this volumne.

He has quite a straightforward, simplistic style of writing, so that it is very accessible. Do not be put off by the thought of philosophy - he writes in a way that any one can understand him and manages to convey complex ideas in a simple manner. He became hugely influential in teh 1990's and his books have become best sellers.

Content ... more

My first forray into philosophy and I didn't even realise! I picked up a copy of this book at my local library, as I was looking for something along the lines of 'how to improve your prospects at work', etc (ie management techniques). I was already familiar with de Bono's name, as he became well knonw in the media in the 1990's, but I did not take the oppporutnity to read his works then.

This book dates back to that era, and their is a companion title, 'Six shoes', which continues along the same lines, but I think the essence of his ideas are encapsulated in this volumne.

He has quite a straightforward, simplistic style of writing, so that it is very accessible. Do not be put off by the thought of philosophy - he writes in a way that any one can understand him and manages to convey complex ideas in a simple manner. He became hugely influential in teh 1990's and his books have become best sellers.

Content ~~

I found this book extremely useful. Not only is it concise, but it opened up a whole new way of thinking. You know those days when you wonder 'am I a secretary or do I want to be a manager?' or when you are stretched emotionally into doing more jobs than you think you are capable of? Well, de Bono explains which personal qualities are bought to the fore for each type of situation. This is most easily illustrated by the example of a brainstormig session, eg at work. Do we want a practical, pragmatic solution to a problem, or does it require forward planning, or would demonstrating empathy for a colleague be more appropriate? De Bono illustates how all these qualities have a place in the workplace.

His basic idea is that different emotions, or ways of thinking/acting/approaching a problem, can be coded and identified with 6 different colours. Each has its own values and can be bought to the fore when you learn to recognise the most suitable situation for them. It also helps you identify qualities and methods that would be a good thing to work on in yourself, as well as being able to see how it would enable you to cope better with situations in the real world.

Most famously, he is a proponent of lateral thinking - do not get stuck in a rut, stretch and challenge your mind to think in other directoins. Often the best way to do this is to relax and challenge yourself to think in a new way about a subject.

Futher info~~

Copies of this book are available on amazon.co.uk from around £8 new, or this best seller is also probably available in your local library. I think it would be useful for most people, from managers, to 'rank and file' workers inbetween, to anyone jobsearching. 

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