Think outside the box

“Think outside the box.”

That counsel has almost become a cliché in business circles. Sometimes we think it was Peter Drucker or Jim Collins or Tom Peters or some other management guru who came up with that phrase. But I actually think it was Jesus.

When Peter the Apostle asks Jesus if it is enough to forgive a sinner seven times (Matthew 18:21-22), he thinks he is being generous. Jesus responds with an answer that Peter, nor anyone, would have come up with – seventy times seven times! It’s a large, “outside-the-box” number. Jesus clearly is not in favor of the status quo. He is setting a new standard. Jesus was raising the bar to a level no one ever considered realistic.

We should all be as bold as Jesus. Don’t be afraid to think about typical situations in new ways. That means, don’t accept status quo as the only way to do things; look for exponentially better ways to do things. Don’t be afraid to set the bar ridiculously high. Look for answers in unconventional places. Operate with the idea that everything is on the table. Don’t get boxed into tradition and convention when it comes to addressing challenges at work. Maybe it’s not a matter of coming up with a better mousetrap but of deciding to go after a different kind of animal. Think big; be bold. Christ is our model.