I think that a society that calls itself by its founder’s name is destined for problems and ultimate failure.
This is the Society of EDB. A Society that uses the thinking tools that he discovered over the last 50 years or so. Unfortunately it is not the “Society of Creating Your Own Tools”. I think it is admirable what EDB has achieved with his brand of thinking. And to all the followers of EDB, I think, follow him by using his tools rather than going forth and creating their own tools. I hope someone here can see the merit in what I am saying.
If Edward is promoting free and individual thinking then surely everyone that follows this form of thinking is also going to be a creator of their own individual thinking tools, no? Alas I do not believe that to be the case here.
But I am open to be proven wrong. Perhaps all of the members in this society can point out all of the individual thinking tools that they are responsible for. Shower me in them & please prove me wrong.
I don’t believe that this will happen however. I think that I am a true follower of EDB thinking, in that I have spent the time & protests necessary to at least find something that I consider new and original. (I still think I have a long way to go though)
And if I did ever discover something new & innovative I do not think I would allow a society claiming to follow my ideas to name the society SherlockSociety.com (although it does have a nice ring to it)
I also think that EDB tools all have their limitations and can easily get shorted-out by emotion.
My goal is to create a single tool that can work in both platforms – business & personal. A tool that is robust enough to cope with any emotion. A tool that any individual can pick up and use it instantly with anyone that they came in contact with and can add to it as they go along, without having to read any books. A tool where I can give it away and not make any money from it.
Is this possible? Yes I think so. Am I close to this? I always think I am, but I thought so when I started 25 years ago. I think I am pretty close today but… tomorrow is a new day. Does it matter if I get there? No, because the closer I get the better I feel.
So what benefit to I get out of all this effort? Well by sharing my latest thought I get invaluable feedback necessary to move on. And ultimately I get a set of tools that with some practice may keep me out of the divorce courts. That could also keep me out of a nasty business venture.
So there you go, please feel free to make any comment what-so-ever and do not feel that you can “derail” this conversation. I do believe that my tools that I have developed, so far, can cope with any feedback and if not, it will help me to further develop them, so please, don’t hold back.
rethink PERFECT 
In your quest to create the ultimate superior thinking tool, you could use some lateral thinking techniques. Many large organisations like IBM and Du Pont have found that using the de Bono techniques are fast and simple and take 25 minutes not 25 years to produce breakthrough ideas.
Even so, you appear convinced that a personal quest is necessary!
I guess I am just a slow learner, but it has been fun and as the song goes “I did it my way” which is also satisfying.
I think I would have been quicker if I had of had a team though. Such is the power of agreements and where the saying comes from “2 heads are better than one” a 1000 heads are even better still.
The Man From La Mancha never discovered that much of his personal quest was based on illusion or infatuation with an obsession.
Why don’t you start a Society For the Invention of Thinking Tools?
Sounds great! You have a Perfect Re Think but not a society that you think de Bono should have!
Ordinary thinking is very much bound up with ego and emotion. This is where using his tools would be useful for you! Have you heard of the Intelligence Trap?
No time to build societies of mini me’s
Fifty years is not long. Our existing thinking is 2400 years old. What has happened with advanced thinking in the past 50 years has bypassed most people. Unless we find ways to cross existing brain patterns, our thinking is locked into them. This is what lateral thinking etc. is all about. You don’t need a team when you have at your command powerful thinking tools. But it seems as if you are using natural thinking and logical thinking. They are insufficient Des.
Show me the money. I have asked in the blog a simple request for anyone to shoe me how useful these tools are for them creating new ideas.
Not heard of one to date. If the tools are so useful why is it that no one has a single original thought worth sharing?
Check out my oriiginal thought in business Quitober.com
I used my own original thinking to come up with this with the help of ideas like Movember, Febfast & DryJuly
You appear now to have a somewhat demanding tone. No one on the Society has an obligation to prove or show anything. No one doubts your abilities to develop your own tools – or even one super tool. We all have our own preferences. Many people are developing tools on the back of Edward’s work, not you of course! They don’t like to give the credit. There is plenty of evidence his stuff works as it is being used around the world anyway. I could of course spend lots of my valuable time giving you examples, and then you would probably shoot them down with impeccable logic! There is nothing for us to defend or prove since we have already – and I speak mainly for myself – proved that the tools work.
You will find what you seek.
If you want to, you will prove it for yourself – whatever it is you need proving!
Ok at this stage I am warn out.
I have asked for one single original idea from the EDB society site and not foudn 1.
If that is demanding I am sorry but yet to be convinced that followers simply using his tools are creative thinkers.
It’s 5 years later. How is your quest going?
Hi Mary, slowly but surely.
Probably a year later I self published my book rethink perfect and the clarity is improving.
I think I am ready to ask the next woman that I talk to for one explicit agreement on any one thing.
I was thinking it might be simply on what we think an agreement means to us personally and the difference between agreements and promises.
There, I guess I am asking you to explicitly participate in what I call the main reason for conversation? (But that would require another conversation )
My explicit agreement is to look up your book on Amazon. Will I find it there? Interestingly enough I found your site while I was looking for the de Bono society site. Years ago I was a member and thought that I would peak in again. Instead I was directed to a porn site and then found your article listed several links below on my Google search.
I was prompted to write, I normally don’t respond to blog posts, because I am actually in the midst of re-inventing/adapting EDB thinking hats for a project that I’m working on. Blending his concept with those of a creativity thought leader and sprinkling in a little bit of me. Is that original thinking? I don’t know. Perhaps it might better be labelled “adaptive thinking”.
M
Free pdf down load on the home page Mary and it should be available on amazon.
It looks like my prediction that the edb society would fail was correct. I found this article on the search “downfall of the de Bono Society” but like a good follower they blamed the software not the thinking. Anyway at least I warned them…
I guess that is why I believe in getting rules of engagement upfront of which you did not take my bait Mary. Ah well. ..
I found this article on the demise of the Edward De Bono Society, very prophetic of me, even if I do say so myself.
http://thinkibility.com/2013/11/04/controlled-behavior-by-design/comment-page-1/#comment-3633