De Bono: how to get from good to the best

Do you recognise these three situations? In the latest monthly edition of Letter to Thinking Managers, Edward de Bono describes them as follows:

Situation One

‘The good is the enemy of the best’. This means that we stop thinking when we have reached a ‘good result’. Had we gone on thinking a bit more, we might have found an even better result.

We do not need to stop thinking because we have an adequate answer. Unlike maths exercises in school, there are often more answers than just one. So we need to develop the habit of continuing to think about the matter even when we have an adequate answer.

Situation Two

In this second situation we think we know that there are other possible ways. The difficulty is in persuading others to explore these ways. The general attitude is that if something is satisfactory - and even excellent - what is the point of looking at other ways?

It is not possible to start from the deficiencies of the present approach, because none may be apparent. It is necessary to focus on the values and benefits provided by the other ways.

Situation Three

Here the situation being considered is excellent in itself. It is not going to be changed or replaced. It is now a matter of saying that “it is not sufficient”. One wheel on a car is excellent - but it is not sufficient. Traditional thinking is excellent - but it is not sufficient.

Edward advises you to make the best of these situations by using the lateral thinking technique of “challenge”. Challenge is designed to prevent the mind sliding smoothly down the existing patterns. Challenge puts a block on the usual patterns and forces the thinker to do without the usual concept of ‘approach’. Challenge is never a criticism. In effect, challenge says:

…this may be the best idea but let us look for others
…this may be the only possible idea but let us make an effort to find others
…if this idea (concept or approach) were not usable what would we do?’

You can read more from De Bono about how you can improve your thinking and your business with a free trial of the latest issue of Letter Thinking Managers.