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THE CORPORATE DADUJI MASTERCLASS
DECISION-MAKING SKILLS

SIX THINKING
HATS.

One Problem. Six Perspectives.
Better Decisions.

A practical guide to thinking clearly, seeing differently,
and deciding better — inspired by Dr. Edward de Bono.

Start learning Explore the six hats
12 MIN READ INTERACTIVE LEARNING
A NEW PERSPECTIVE CHANGES EVERYTHING
Six executive fedoras in white, red, black, yellow, green and blue on a midnight navy display
01 — 06SIX WAYS TO SEE. ONE WAY FORWARD.
“The quality of your decision depends on the quality of your thinking.”
YOUR LEARNING JOURNEYA better decision starts here.
01Understand02Explore03Reflect04Practice05Apply
01THE STARTING POINT

I don't reinvent
the wheel.

I search for it.

“Those who search, discover.”

When I want to learn something new, my first thought is not,
'I will invent something completely new.'

I don't try to reinvent the wheel. I search for the wheel.

Who has already created it? Who is using it well?
And how can I adapt it, improve it and use it better?

Learn. Adapt. Improve. Make it your own.
02THE QUESTION THAT MATTERS

How can we make important
decisions better?

A customer. An investment. A new market. A person.
In senior-level corporate life, one decision can shape the future of an entire team or organization.

?

Can we improve the way we think
before we make an important decision?

Yes. By changing the way we look at the problem.

A FRAMEWORK FOR CLEARER THINKING

Six Thinking Hats

By Dr. Edward de Bono

Instead of trying to think about everything at the same time, deliberately separate different types of thinking.Same problem. Different perspectives.

03SOUND FAMILIAR?

Imagine this meeting.

A company is considering launching a new product.
Five voices. Five valid perspectives. One tangled discussion.

Indian business leaders considering a product launch around a boardroom table
MONDAY, 10:00 AM · THE BOARDROOM

“Should we launch?”

Marketing

“There is a huge market opportunity.”

Finance

“The investment is high. Where is the ROI?”

Operations

“Can our current capacity handle it?”

Sales

“Customers are asking for it.”

Risk

“What happens if the launch fails?”

Everyone may be right — but everyone is thinking differently.

Longer discussion More confusion Difficult decision
What if we separate the thinking?
04THE FRAMEWORK

Six hats.
Six ways of thinking.

Not six opinions. Six deliberate perspectives.
Explore each hat to discover the questions that lead to better decisions.

Select a card to go a little deeper
01
THE WHITE HAT

Facts & Information

Focus on facts, data and available information.

02
THE RED HAT

Emotions & Intuition

Focus on feelings, instincts and intuition.

03
THE BLACK HAT

Risks & Caution

Focus on weaknesses, risks, limitations and potential problems.

04
THE YELLOW HAT

Benefits & Opportunities

Focus on value, benefits and possibilities.

05
THE GREEN HAT

Creativity & Alternatives

Focus on new ideas, alternatives and possibilities.

06
THE BLUE HAT

Process & Control

Focus on managing the thinking process and moving toward a decision.

YOUR QUICK REFERENCE

Six hats at a glance.

Keep the question simple.
Keep the thinking focused.

Six thinking hats: focus and key question
HATFOCUSTHE KEY QUESTION
WhiteFactsWhat do we know?
RedEmotionWhat do we feel?
BlackRiskWhat can go wrong?
YellowOpportunityWhat can go right?
GreenCreativityWhat else is possible?
BlueProcessHow should we think and decide?
05THE BIG INSIGHT

The six hats
are not six people.

You do not need six different people to use Six Thinking Hats.
One person can wear all six. A great decision-maker changes
the hat according to the situation.

The situation chooses the hat.
Sometimes, you need facts.
Sometimes, you need emotion.
Sometimes, you need risk.
Sometimes, you need opportunity.
Sometimes, you need creativity.
Sometimes, you need process.
In a group, use the same hat together — then change perspectives together.
06KNOW YOUR THINKING

Which hat do you naturally wear?

When you face an important decision, what do you naturally look for first?

A MOMENT OF SELF-AWARENESS

Select the perspective you reach for first. There is no wrong answer — only an opportunity to see more.

The hat you are most comfortable wearing can become your strength —
but it can also become your blind spot.

Your strength can become your blind spot.

07LEAD THE THINKING

From decision-maker
to thinking leader.

Leadership is not about having every answer.
It is about helping the room ask better questions.

ONE LEADER. EVERY PERSPECTIVE.
Strategy meetings
Business reviews
Product decisions
Customer discussions
Investment decisions
Problem-solving
Team conflicts
Project planning
Risk assessment
Innovation workshops
08TURN LEARNING INTO ACTION

Put the six hats into practice.

Try a real business decision. Slow down your thinking. Broaden your perspective.

YOUR BUSINESS CHALLENGE

Your company is considering entering a new international market.

One decision. Give every perspective a seat at the table.

A guided reflection · No sign-up needed · Download your notes
09THE LEADER'S SIX QUESTIONS

Six questions.
One better decision.

You don't need a complicated vocabulary.
You just need to ask the right question, at the right time.

01
“Show me the facts.”
02
“What does your instinct tell you?”
03
“What could go wrong?”
04
“What is the opportunity?”
05
“What else can we do?”
06
“So, what is our decision?”
YOUR DECISION-MAKING FLOW
Define the
problem
WhiteFacts
RedEmotion
BlackRisk
YellowOpportunity
GreenCreativity
BlueDecision
ACT

A useful starting sequence, not a rigid rule. Use blue-hat thinking throughout to guide the process.

“Sometimes you don't need a new answer.
You simply need a new way of looking
at the same question.”
Better Thinking Better Decisions Better Leadership
10TAKE THIS WITH YOU

Better decisions begin
with better thinking.

Five ideas to take into your next meeting.

01

Separate your thinking

Give each perspective its own space.

02

Don’t depend on one perspective

Look beyond your most familiar hat.

03

Use facts and feelings wisely

Both matter. Know which is speaking.

04

Challenge risks and opportunities

Look for what can fail — and succeed.

05

Know when to change the hat

Let the situation guide your thinking.

A FINAL WORD OF CORPORATE DADUJI WISDOM

Before you make your next
important decision…

What facts do I know?

What does my intuition say?

What could go wrong?

What could go right?

What else is possible?

And finally — what decision should I make?

Don't just make decisions.
Think before you decide.

Corporate Daduji

Corporate Wisdom. Practical Learning. Better Decisions.

Put your thinking into practice