Tanya Freedman

SCOT ANALYSIS: Revisiting the Jolly Good Art Business Plan - Excerpt from page 81 of Start & Run An Art Teaching Business, by Tanya Freedman

STRENGTHS Passion for art     Focus/determination to succeed Spouse's moral support Clear goals        Interest in learning new things Few start-up funds needed Willingness to work hard Creativity/innovativeness  Adaptibility/flexibility	CHALLENGES                                Little time to spend with child Managing family commitments Fear of failure(sometimes) Home-based studio Lack of a long business track record
OPPORTUNITIES   Networking/contacts School contacts  Neighbors and daughter’s friends     Expansion and big success Transferable skills from previous business Lessons learned from actual practice	THREATS Competition Stress

 
 

Different Hats for Different Thoughts

By Tanya Freedman - 19 July, 2006

Are you a panic thinker, like I used to be when faced with a problem that needs solving?

Are you as creative as an astranaut thinking out of the planet not just out of the box?

Or are you a negative thinker?

Perhaps the principles of Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” can help you, like they helped me.
 
If you’ve only heard of it, or have always wanted to learn how to use the “6 Thinking Hats” process for problem solving after today you’ll know how to put these thinking hats on, too: whether you’re an entrepreneur, housewife, or a member of the corporate world, this classic tool can help you resolve many problems in your life. 
 
First - I’ll give an overview of what each colour of thinking hat represents 

Then - I’ll use some of my own examples to illustrate how this system can be used.

BLUE Thinking Hat: all about the plan
– Thinking about thinking; the PROCESS, reviewing the facts and the sequence of hats to use in a particular situation:
 
WHITE Thinking Hat – Neutral; data, facts & figures
 
RED Thinking Hat – Emotions: How do we feel about the issue?, fear, frustration, excitement, challenge? 
 
BLACK Thinking Hat: - negative, doom and gloom; why something’s not going to work. (I don’t like this hat)
 
YELLOW Thinking Hat: - Optimistic Pollyanna,
–    always finds the silver lining in any situation. (One of my personal faves)
 
GREEN Thinking Hat: - Creative Problem Solving. Thinking out of the planet, not just the box. (I LOVE this hat!)
 
As I personally learn most effectively from other people’s examples, here I use a couple of my own problems in how I implemented this technique for best results:
 
Example Problem No. 1: Not enough clients in my art school:
 
When I put on the BLUE thinking hat it helps me Structure my thoughts and plan ahead
 
WHITE Thinking Hat: Looking at the plain facts: Not enough clients.
 
Putting on RED Thinking Hat: - I gauge how am I feeling about this?  Worried, frustrated?
 
Then the BLACK Thinking Hat: My pessimistic side says: The business will fail; it’s all doom and gloom, despite all my hard work.       I THROW HAT!
 
But then replacing that with YELLOW Thinking Hat: I say to myself: I can do this! Lets go forward POSITIVELY. And How?
 
With my GREEN Thinking Hat: I start to Creatively Brainstorm 
                 - what’s my edge over the competition?
                 - what trends can I build on?
              Eg.  I revamped my website and had local press   
                 profile my art school.
                 - What else can I do? I cont to brainstorm,
 
Now I put on the RED Thinking Hat AGAIN:
I gauge how I’m feeling about these new ideas,
the new approach.  \  Hopeful, excited?

Finally with the BLUE Hat I review all the facts so far; Plan the next course of action I’m going to take for best results. Kick asp as I like to say.

We can also involve others in our hat thinking to find a resolution to a problem, and use the hats in a slightly different order, as in my 2^nd example:
A hesitant client won’t commit. (facts - White hat)

Your prospective client may say, “It’s too expensive, it’s the wrong time, it’s not worth it.” (BLACK hat thinking)

Engage her red hat thinking so she can verbalise her negative as well as positive emotions.

Now try to influence her by pointing out the positives, the benefits of your services, and she may well put on her yellow thinking hat.

Then, in turn you can encourage her to wear her green thinking hat - get her creative juices flowing – and together you can use the blue thinking hat to hopefully enter the realm of possibilities - and a sale or commitment for YOU.

And my 3^rd Example Problem was a Personal one - when my husband and I seriously considered whether to Relocate from UK to Canada.

• We both sat down to think and talk through this important decision that would impact our whole family.
• Talk about the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. You should have seen the hats fly; my red, his white, my yellow, his blue... but no black, so here we are in Canada!

So why don’t you use this process in your own business and personal environment - introduce it within your company, or family unit to help you organize your own thinking as well as help others organize theirs.

Everyone’s capable of wearing each of these hats at different times, but we’re much more comfortable wearing one of the hats most of the time. And we can adapt to change that, too.

So, next time you're faced with any problem try these thinking hats on for size and you too may see those problems disappear and your success soar.