What is Paperclip Thinking?
**Warning shot** - high levels of introspection and emotion are discussed in the following paragraphs, so if an intense level of “Dr. Phil’esque” content creates nausea or headaches, I’m recommending that you move on to a more emotionally stable article! If not, then sit down and enjoy the read.
I have a voice inside of my head that likes to ask, “why?”. The voice, almost every time I hear an idea or a suggestion, asks me, “why do they do it that way?”, “why are you feeling anxious about that?”, “why would someone suggest that information?” Yes, some people close to me have been concerned on my behalf and asked me, “why” haven’t you sought professional help for this voice, but TRUST me, there’s no need to fear the voice- embrace it, because when embraced, the question “why?” can evolve into something really powerful.
Sir Kenneth Robinson is a British author, speaker and international advisor on education. He is a well known academic who has focused his interests on the subject of creativity and MILLIONS of people have heard him speak and reviewed his opinions & research. Sir Kenneth inspired me to think a bit differently about creativity, education, divergent thinking and all of this inspiration came from a 30 second clip from one of his videos. I saw the video and a light bulb went off. My inspiration for divergent thinking was a seed that had been planted years ago, as I was coached to embrace freedom-based versus fear-based thought. I loved the idea of multiple ways to add value, in life, so my mind raced during Sir Kenneth’s discussion because he was sharing details about a longitudinal study, done years ago, that tracked kindergarten children and their ability to be divergent thinkers. This information hit home- as it was so applicable, personally, and to the recruiting industry I support. The study asked these children how many ways they could use a paperclip. They were asked as kindergartners, then as middle schoolers and finally, as young adults.
The kindergarten children came up with 100’s of ways to use a paperclip - part and parcel to the fact that they hadn’t learned that a paperclip shouldn’t be made of foam rubber and stand 100 feet tall. But as time marched on… their ability to remain divergent in thought, diminished. That’s no fun and who wants convergent business partners? I don’t. As these kids entered their late teens, it was commonly expected that their lists of ways to use a paperclip would shrink from 100+ to a mere 15-20. When I heard this section of the video that voice in my head screamed, “why can’t we regain some of that divergent thinking and how do we do it?” The question is a good one and I, for one, would like to believe that being divergent in thought is a good thing in all aspects of life, so as I mentioned, earlier, I embarked on being a coachee (2009-present) and for years I have been immersed in a process of introspection. I’ve dedicated my life to working to become a more benevolent leader of people, an innovative partner in business and a balanced father-husband-friend-employee. In general, I want to be a more peaceful person. I was a real grumpy, fake and angry person (all hidden on the inside, so for all of you who thought everything was cool- nope). My life changed, more peacefully, after I began mastering the concepts my coach supported me to embrace. It is no coincidence that when I hear about people being “squeezed” into convergent thought, it makes me edgy and is why I felt an ever present frustration and refused to buy into “this is the way we do it” as a strategy. In 2016 I started documenting the process steps followed to free myself from the way things “are supposed to be” and this process became the core to Paperclip Thinking LLC. For those who embrace this path, the coaching supports different, productive, innovative and peaceful results.
‘Paperclip Thinking’ is comprised of 5 process steps:
1) Look in the Mirror- the process begins with us. A willingness to accept that our behaviors, no one else's, fuel life.
2) Keep a Clean Front Porch- metaphorically used to describe the power of keeping focused on our behaviors and not being distracted by the behaviors of our neighbors. If you want a clean neighborhood, starting with a clean front porch is a logical step. Keep your porch clean and others may choose to follow.
3) The Want Wheel- defining what we “want” for our lives (business, personal, etc.) is a simple concept, with very complex applications.
4) #thinklikea5yearold - let’s have fun and be willing to ask the questions and state the feelings that our kindergarten brothers & sisters would regularly use.
5) Intentional Thought- creating intentions is a powerful process and these intentions bring clarity and action into your life, daily.
I’ve dedicated 8 years of my life to this process and I support others who are interested in a good look in the mirror, keeping a clean front porch, defining their “wants”, thinking like a 5 year old (immaturity has finally paid off) and being focused on creating intentions. The discussions, exercises and content are used with my client partnerships, individual coachees and have fostered stronger communication, leadership, productivity and unprecedented results. This is ‘paperclip thinking’, so if you have questions or curiosity, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always up for a chat!