Session 5: 6 Hats theory

This session focused on the work of Edward De Bono, the 6 hats theory. I've heard briefly about it before but hadn't completed any work in it. I found the concept interesting and could see how a couple of my leadership team members clearly play roles under these guises. I know Victoria won't mind me saying but she will often play the "Black Hat" - challenging our thinking and asking us to turn the situation on its head to see another point of view. Jenny V is just about always the green hat, the one who says, "this might be crazy but..." and throws in a left-of-centre idea to shake things up. Where do I sit? I kind of pegged myself as perhaps a white or blue, the data and process driven person... But I could also see yellow, where I try to see a positive in all situations. Sometimes we're not the best person to judge our own characters...

The example we were given is that the college involved its entire staff, on a voluntary basis, to assess a certain situation and think of it from the six hats perspectives. They could only contribute ideas when that particular hat's station... The outcome being that people who get stuck on a set way of thinking often hold up the flow of ideas and progress so by providing a valid place for them to contribute those thoughts, you freed the rest of the group to get on with it.

If I combine this lesson with the collaboration ideas from this morning, it would be good for us to see if the major teams we work in are comprised of people with differing strengths and who wear different coloured hats.