The Monthly “Thinkingaire” Book Tuning “Out-of-the-Box” Thinking and Thinkers Nov. 2016

We have moved into the new digital age when information is abundant and where creativity becomes a baseline competence. The race of human against the machine is ongoing. The knowledge life cycle is significantly shortened, and the pace of information technology is so rapid that no one can rest on a static mindset, past accomplishments, or the wishful thought that everything is perfect the way it is. Indeed, the mindset is far more important than talent. Out-of-the-Box thinking is the metaphor of thinking creatively. Here are a set of blogs to brainstorm out-of-the-box thinking and thinkers.

        “Out-of-the-Box” Thinking and ThinkersThe New Book “Thinkingare” Introduction Chapter 1 “Out of Box” Thinking Minds   Out-of-the-Box thinking implies a certain level of creativity or unconventional problem solving. “The box” is the mental construct made up of personal or environmental components that one operates within. Most often, the box is your safety net and your comfort zone. So thinking outside “the box” means doing something outside of the confines of the construct. It’s easy for things in the box to turn stale and stagnant, great things don’t happen inside your comfort zone or in a box. Fundamentally, the “box” is also the set of “rules” that you are abiding by at any moment in time, by breaking down those old rules, your mind is set free to create the new ideas that arising from identifying and challenging assumptions and then generating more possibilities.
Thinking Out-of-the-Box, What is your Box Though? Every mind has a certain box, some smaller, some bigger; the box starts set-up at a very early age, by your surroundings, the education you received, the people you interacted with and the standards by which you lived. The "boxes" are the walls in your mind. Walls in your mind are constructed by society's conditioning (rules imposed by parents, teachers, leaders, media, books, etc). When you allow information into being accepted as absolute "truth" without first using critical thinking, it inhibits your ability to also think creatively. So in order to think "out of the box," you have to clarify what's inside your box, though?
Three Questions to Assess a Person’s “Out-of-Box” Thinking Ability Every mind has a certain box, some smaller, some bigger. The box starts set-up at a very early age, by your surroundings, the media you followed, the books you read, the education you received, the people you interacted with and the standards by which you lived. The "boxes" are the walls in your mind. Walls in your mind are constructed by the society's conditioning and rules imposed by influencers. However, the box keeps changing, in today's competitive environment, what was outside the box yesterday, may not be such today. Our thinking has to continuously evolve, adapt, and prepare for change. Which questions should you ask to assess a person’s “Out-of-box” thinking ability?
Are Visionary CIOs Often Outliers? Modern CIOs have multiple personas, they have to wear different hats to fit the roles situationally in order to lead effectively. Technology is complex, business is complex, and people are complex. Due to increasing changes in the digital dynamic environment, The CIOs needs to be a dynamic person with vision, open, growth and complexity mindset- with high ability to envision the digital trends, manage innovations, communicating to suite situations so as to craft strategies and make things happen. Visionary CIOs are in demand, and, are visionary Who are they, and what can they do to drive digital transformation of the business?
Is there anything as too much out-of-the-box thinking? Fundamentally, the "box" is the set of "rules" you are abiding by at any moment in time, by a breakdown of old rules, your mind sets free to create the new ideas, usually, comes from identifying and challenging assumptions and then generating more possibilities. However, without box (rules), can you generate more useful and achievable ideas? Is there anything as too much out of the box thinking?

The “Future of CIO” Blog has reached 1.6 million page views with about 3300+ blog posting in 59+ different categories of leadership, management, strategy, digitalization, change/talent, etc. The content richness is not for its own sake, but to convey the vision and share the wisdom. Blogging is not about writing, but about thinking; it’s not just about WHAT to say, but about WHY to say, and HOW to say it. It reflects the color and shade of your thought patterns, and it indicates the peaks and curves of your thinking waves. Unlike pure entertainment, quality and professional content takes time for digesting, contemplation and engaging, and therefore, it takes time to attract the "hungry minds" and the "deep souls." It’s the journey to amplify your voice, deepen your digital footprints, and match your way for human progression.





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