A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man thanks the bartender and walks out. Why did the man thank the bartender?
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When things are established, familiar and work well, it’s rare to question whether there’s an alternative that may prove better. Yet, experimenting and trying new things without an obvious need can sometimes result in a step change.
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Conflict can feel really uncomfortable, unprofessional and unproductive. Yet, avoiding conflict can come at the expense of understanding a situation more deeply. Conflict can help clarify issues and lead to better outcomes. After all, it’s the grit that makes the pearl.
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Take this challenge: You have a cardboard box full of sand and some buried coins. You’re given a set of chopsticks and a spoon. Without tipping the box over or touching the sand with your hands, how do you get the coins out?
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Many of us prefer to keep doubt at arm’s length. It can feel like the enemy, especially if it renders us unable to make progress, blocks our ability to make decisions and causes us to pontificate rather than move forward. But what if a nagging feeling of doubt or a chronic sense of unease was actually more helpful than not?
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Just like the shuffle button throws up interesting and unexpected discoveries on your playlist, shuffling and organising your thoughts and ideas can do the same. If you’ve got a bunch of options and ideas then sorting and rearranging them in different ways can help you see things afresh; revealing patterns not yet seen.
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We are pattern spotters. We love to see connections and work out how things fit together. The other side of the coin is spotting when patterns don’t quite fit together in the right way. However, this can be hard. It’s less obvious and we’re not always tuned into the signals.
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You are taken into a room with a table which has three items laid out i) a box of tacks ii) a book of matches iii) a candle. Your task is to attach the candle to the wall using any of the items available, without the candle wax dripping onto the table below. What do you do?
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