Using AI to think laterally

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You know those moments when you're facing a big decision in your business?

Maybe it's whether to expand into a new area, invest in that fancy new CRM system, or completely revamp your marketing strategy.

I had one of those moments last week, looking at a proposal to a client. I don’t know if I told you guys or not, but before real estate, proposals were my world - multi-million dollar proposals, mostly in technology (it feels like a long time ago now, but such a good grounding in sales and writing, believe it or not!)

Anyway - I felt like this proposal was missing something - and a technique we used to use in the big corporates back in the day was to get multiple executives to read the proposal, giving them different “hats” to wear.

Once they knew what their hat was, they would critique the proposal from this angle, and it would allow the bid team I was working with the ability to see any blind spots or things from the customer perspective we might be missing.

Obviously, I don’t have access to the in-house resources or executives these days, but I do have several AI assistants, and I’m not afraid to call on them.

So today, in the hopes this might help someone working on a proposal - or some other big decision, let's get ChatGPT to wear some different hats, drawing from the timeless and vital work of Edward De Bono.

Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono originated the term ‘lateral thinking’ and wrote 85 books with translations into more than 46 languages (before ChatGPT that is!)

He also recognised that most of us approach problems using our preferred thinking style - some of us are eternal optimists, others are critical thinkers, and some are pure data people.

The Corporate ‘Evolution’

While de Bono introduced this method to major corporations like IBM and Boeing, it's become a go-to framework for decision-making across industries. Why? Because it forces us to look at problems from all angles, not just from the angle of our comfort zone.

The Digital Upgrade

Now here's where it gets interesting - this classic framework gets a modern upgrade with AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. They can help us wear each hat systematically and thoroughly, catching perspectives we might miss.

As a refresher, the Six Thinking Hats method includes:

White Hat (Facts and Data)

• What do the numbers tell us?

• What information do we have?

• What data are we missing?

Red Hat (Feelings and Intuition)

• What's your gut telling you?

• How do you feel about this?

• What's your intuition saying?

Black Hat (Critical Judgment)

• What could go wrong?

• What are the risks?

• What are the logical flaws?

Yellow Hat (Optimistic View)

• What are the benefits?

• What's the best-case scenario?

• What opportunities could this create?

Green Hat (Creativity)

• What are new ways to approach this?

• What if we tried something different?

• How could we innovate here?

Blue Hat (Process Control)

• How should we approach this decision?

• What's our next step?

• How do we keep on track?

Using AI to Master Your Thinking

Here's where the magic happens - you can use AI as your thinking partner for each hat.

Here's how:

1. Start with a Clear Question: Write down your decision or problem.

2. Let AI Be Your Hat Partner: Share your question with ChatGPT or Claude using a prompt like this:

"I need to analyse this situation using the Six Thinking Hats method. Can you help me think through each perspective? Let's start with the White Hat - what are the pure facts and data we need to consider?"

Then, move through each hat systematically, letting the AI help you explore each perspective deeply.

3. Document and Review: Have the AI summarise the insights from each hat and help you form an action plan.

Combined with AI, this method is particularly powerful because it helps overcome our natural biases and gives us a better angle.

A practical example

Let's look at a situation every agent probably has faced: deciding whether to take on a challenging listing.

Maybe it's a unique property that's hard to price, has some issues, or comes with a seller who has... let's say, very specific expectations.

Here's how an AI-powered Six Hats analysis might help you make the decision:

White Hat (Facts & Data):

• Property's condition and features

• Recent comparable sales in the area

• Current market conditions and days on market

• Seller's price expectations vs market data

• Your current listing load and resources

• Marketing costs and commission structure

Red Hat (Feelings & Intuition):

• Your gut feeling about the property's potential

• Initial impressions of working with the seller

• Team's reaction to the listing

• Emotional energy required to manage this listing

• Your intuition about market response

Black Hat (Critical Judgment):

• Risk of property not selling at expected price

• Potential impact on your reputation

• Time and resource drain from other listings

• Possible challenges with seller communication

• Market feedback management

• Risk of negative reviews

Yellow Hat (Optimistic View):

• Opportunity to showcase unique property marketing

• Potential to develop new market expertise

• Challenge that could enhance your skills

• Possibility of referrals from a satisfied client

• Chance to prove your problem-solving abilities

• Could lead to more challenging, higher-commission listings

Green Hat (Creativity):

• Innovative marketing approaches for unique features

• Different pricing strategies

• Novel open home concepts

• Creative solutions for property issues

• Unique ways to manage seller expectations

• Alternative commission structures

Blue Hat (Process Control):

• Clear timeline for decision-making

• Step-by-step listing strategy if accepted

• Regular review points during the campaign

• Communication plan with seller

• Exit strategy if needed

Putting It Into Action

Here's a practical prompt to get your AI thinking partner started on a challenging listing analysis:

"I'm considering taking on a listing at [address]. It's challenging because [list as many specific challenges]. Using the Six Thinking Hats method, help me analyse this opportunity. Let's start with the White Hat - what specific facts and data should we gather about this property, the market, and our resources?"

Then, for each subsequent hat, you might ask:

Red Hat: "Wearing the Red Hat, what emotional aspects and intuitions should we consider about this listing?"

Black Hat: "From a Black Hat perspective, what are the specific risks and challenges we need to be prepared for?"

And so on through each hat.

Pro Tip: Save your AI's analysis in a document you can refer back to or re-analyse - it can help guide your listing presentation and strategy if you decide to take on the property.

The Power of Perspective

What I love about this method is how it forces us to step out of our usual thinking patterns. As agents, you might naturally gravitate toward the Yellow Hat's optimism or the Black Hat's caution, but using all six helps us make more balanced decisions.

I hope you enjoyed this whistlestop tour through six hat thinking - and hey, if you're using this method for your next challenging decision, I'd love to hear how it goes!

Happy Hunting! 🎩✨

—Sam

Co-Founder of Elite Agent

Creator of 30 days of Practical Property Prompts,

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