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to Think Differently By Dr. Barry Frew There is certainly no shortage of books, articles, and consultants that profess how to manage change, how to create and manage innovation and how to lead transformation. The rhetoric is everywhere; even in the Department of the Navy. The topic of change is certainly not new – Niccolo Machiavelli wrote the following in The Prince in 1514, “We must bear in mind, then, that there is nothing more difficult and dangerous, or more doubtful of success, than an attempt to introduce a new order of things in any state. For the innovator has for enemies all those who derived advantages from the old order of things while those who expect to be benefited by the new institutions will be but luke warm defenders. This indifference arises in part from fear of their adversaries who were favored by the existing laws, and partly from the incredulity of men who have no faith in anything new that is not the result of well-established experience. Hence, it is that, whenever the opponents of the new order of things have the opportunity to attack it, they will do it with the zeal of partisans, while the others defend it but feebly, so that it is dangerous to rely upon the latter.” Why is it so difficult for someone to change their mind, or even more difficult, to effect change in another person’s way of thinking? I believe Machiavelli makes a good argument. I believe it is difficult because it requires people to question everything, including status quo as well as being willing to suspend their own beliefs. Individual behavior is driven, in a large part, by an individual’s values, beliefs, and perceptions. An individual’s mindset causes bias to influence the thinking, and this in turn, influences the behavior. Thinking is a profoundly individual thing. It can be measured, much like assessing someone’s personality tendencies with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tool. Two of the best tools available to assess how an individual thinks are NedHerrmann’s Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) tool that measures brain dominance, and Jerry Rhodes’ Thinking-Intentions Profile (TIP) which reveals the 21 fundamental operations of the mind and measures a person's individual preferences between them. This shows their natural approach to situations that demand best thinking. Both tools give an insight into a person’s thinking patterns. Although thinking is predominantly individual, we execute in groups of 2 or more much more than we act independently. Both of these tools can also be used in group settings to assess what kind of thinking is represented within a group. When matched with the requirements of the task and the type of thinking likely to produce better results, the tools can be used to better match teams with activities. Newsflash…the way we THINK determines the way we BEHAVE! Most of us are often unaware of how our attitudes affect our behavior. Most of us are often unaware of the impact our behavior has on others - both positively and negatively. If we learn how to behave differently and make new behaviors stick, then we will begin to create a new world.

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