Comments on: If Someone Tells You to Think Outside the Box, Run.

By: Phil Gerbyshak

Phil Gerbyshak — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:35:13 +0000

I hate thinking outside the box too. My favorite recent quote is one from Mike Kanazawa, author of Big Ideas to Big Results. Mike changed the old "Do more with less" to a much more possible "Do more ON less." Hopefully you allow a little HTML because I linked to a great podcast Mike did with Lisa Haneberg illustrating this point.

By: wwds

wwds — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:01:42 +0000

Brenda…thanks and you are welcome. And, you are exactly right.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:14:27 +0000

THANK YOU for this post! “Thinking outside the box” has become a cliche and, yes, even in its heyday did imply that the solutions lay “somewhere out-there.” Business owners would be much better served if, instead of hiring consultant/saviors, they gathered up their existing staff at all levels for a dialogue. If personnel share their realities and ACTIVELY LISTEN to each other, solutions will emerge. I see the new mantra now … instead of “Think outside of the box,” we could be saying, “Listen within.”

By: wwds

wwds — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:43:01 +0000

Yours IS a good one…I wish there were a list someplace. I am enough of a contrarian (curmudgeon?)just to figure out how to say that they don’t work. I am starting to realize all these shortcuts don’t get you to the promised land, anyway. Finally.

By: Conrad

Conrad — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:52:25 +0000

I don’t know if it’s a business bromide, but I always liked “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Seems to work.

As a programmer, sometimes it isn’t broken, so I do something else – I think – and now it’s broken. By the way, perfect programming would prevent that. But, well, you know…