Gerhard van Rensburg, a leading figure in the sphere of leadership excellence, recently shared 5 thinking disciplines that he finds very helpful. They are worth taking note of as they can surely find application in all of our lives. I have complied his 5 thinking disciplines into a brief list which gives an overview of each.
1. Think Broad.
Gerhard stresses the usefulness of possessing the capacity to see the bigger picture. It is easy to get caught up in things that are immediately in front of us. We may get a sense of being overwhelmed by what is in front of us if we fail to place immediate events in the greater context of the development of our lives and the lives of those around us. On the Care and Growth model this is understood as an aspect of the capacity to see things as they are. This is the capacity to detach our experience from our immediate needs in favor of a more holistic and truthful appraisal of events.
Thinking broad and recognizing a number of different perspectives helps us achieve a greater resilience and emotional stability and also a greater reliability with decision making.
2. Just Do it.
If we possess the skill of appraising a situation objectively, particularly if we are able to take the bigger picture and see things as they are, then we will have the capacity to spontaneously recognize what the appropriate thing to do is.
This recognition will often be very fleeting and quickly overshadowed by fears and trepidation. We must possess the capacity to spontaneously act on the gut recognition of the right thing to do before we think ourselves out of it.
We will of course not always get it right but when we act decisively upon our gut appraisal of what is right we will learn, even when we get it wrong. Our intuition will get refined through trial and error but only if we learn to act decisively.
3. Think Vision.
It is important to never stop dreaming. You must always see the future as open to your ideals, values, and creativity. Have a vision and allow that vision to inspire you. What this thought discipline helps you with is to maintain a focused optimism which will enable you to unlock your potential.
Gerhard also stressing the value of patience. It is important to give oneself time to fulfill ones potential. Often a steady and focused progression guided by a vision is the most productive way of the unlocking your potential.
4. Order Your Mind.
It is fundamentally important to organize your thinking. In order to be able to engage focused productivity and energy on realizing your core vision it is necessary to be able to recognize what is essential to it and what is a mere distraction. You need to recognize what is actually essential to unlocking your potential.
By organizing your mind and recognizing what is essential to your vision you will be able to translate dreams into process and understand how you must apply yourself to unlock your potential.
5.Get Things Done.
The last essential thinking discipline that Gerhard notes is the discipline of seeking and finding satisfaction in those moments in which you tick a thing of your list. Once dreams are translated into process it is essential to devote cognitive resources and your energies in achieving the elements of the process.