Connect. The Network Media Partners blog.

Learning to think better

March 16, 2010

Over at Seth Godin’s blog, he wrote a piece about TED while the annual TED conference was in full swing in Long Beach. And it made us think.

Remember waaaay back to high school algebra? Why did we do so many problems? None of which we ever needed to do in “real” life. Those equations were teaching us to think in an abstract way, Godin derived. Now, fast-forward that type of thinking beyond just numbers and letters, to ideas and concepts.

High-level thinkers are essential to making an idea better. They are able to see beyond the missing details, and are even able to create those items as they go along. Drawing a conclusion (and predicting if A + B will indeed = C) is where we can all learn to live.  No longer just accepting what we are told, but testing and rearranging it to see what other outcomes we can get.

Now, in math, there is only one correct answer. In life, there may be several options that seem appropriate. But it is your job—in life and in your career—to train yourself to know when you’ve found the best one.

–Megan Lebo, Assistant Traffic Manager, Network Media Partners

Filed under: workplace

Tags: workplace culture