‘Lateral Thinking’ was the first De Bono book I read. The book has a simple and easy approach for examining the thoughts and difficulties of life with a fresh perspective to each. It is one of the best sellers of Edward de Bono. They base it on the brain’s various styles of thinking. The book gives and encourages you to look through a problem from multiple perspectives. Each section of this book comprises solutions dealing with complexities in life.
The principles presented in the book can change your way of thinking and your reaction to every problem. The book highlights 6 hats –
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White: Depicting facts, illustrations, and learning about life.
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Blue: Depicting restraining of thoughts in the mind.
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Green: Depicting the creativity and productivity of the mind.
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Black: Depicting the contradictory belief and devilish thoughts.
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Yellow: Depicting emphatic and cheerful approach to life.
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Red: Depicting sentiments, attitudes, and intuitions.
The basic idea behind these different colors of the hat is that each time a person wears a hat and different characteristics are seen in him. I got to learn that thinking sincerely according to the situations makes things much easier.
You cannot apply the same tactics to every problem, seeing it from a different angle is the best of the options. This not only enhances your thinking ability, but also strengthens your mind and soul.
I would say that all these 6 different thoughts can be applied at home or the workplace. Decision-making in day-to-day life is a crucial thing, this book can be a helping hand in guiding you to either change or improve your thinking skills.
If you really want to improve your thinking ability then you can do a quick read, it is not even lengthy just comprising 177 pages.