Don't tell me to "think outside the box." Give me a bigger box! Here's how. . .

Don't tell me to "think outside the box." Give me a bigger box! Here's how. . .

Perhaps you’ve seen this puzzle. There are nine dots on a page, arranged in a 3-by-3 matrix.

The challenge is to connect all nine dots with four straight lines (or fewer) without lifting your pencil or retracing your path. If you haven’t done it before, or it’s been a while, give it a try.

Okay, give up? Watch the video above for:

  1. the solution,
  2. a great “outside the box” story, and
  3. to learn a better way to come up with more creative solutions to tough problems than just telling people to “think outside the box.”

Here’s a link to another “outside the box” story you can use: https://leadwithastory.com/lwas085.

If you’d like more stories to help your organization be more creative, check out chapter 26 of my book, Lead with a Story, or reach out to me at leadwithastory.com.

Use these links to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher, or Podbean.

Source: Lead with a Story: How to Craft Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire, by Paul Smith.

Paul Smith is one of the world’s leading experts on business storytelling. He’s a keynote speaker, storytelling coach, and bestselling author of the books Lead with a StoryParenting with a Story, and Sell with a Story.

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