Mind Maps are an expression of Radiant Thinking

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Oct 31, 2009 in Mind Mapping, Mind Maps at Work, Mind Maps in Education, Personal Mind Maps | 1 comment

In my article on the Six Thinking Hats, I used the term Radiant Thinking. Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map, calls Radiant Thinking ‘The Major Evolution in Human Thought’ in The Mind Map Book.

He describes the brain as a Radiant Thinking Association Machine with five major functions:

• Receiving
• Holding
• Analysing
• Outputting
• Controlling

These five functions support and reinforce each other. The first three are expressed by the fourth, while the fifth function keeps everything together.

How well does your thinking methods support the above functions?

Tony Buzan goes on to say that the inherent weaknesses of traditional note making and note taking systems leave our brains in quandary. He also differentiates between note making and note taking. Note making is making notes of your own ideas and note taking is making notes of other people’s ideas. I will use the terms interchangeably, as the principles I would like you to apply are the same for both note making and note taking. Also, the best notes should be a combination of your thoughts and other people’s thoughts.

By analysing the ineffectiveness of traditional linear notes, we can appreciate the need to use a system that works with our brains rather than against them.

Let’s do a short exercise. Review your own notes that you’ve made for any of the following purposes:

• Memory
• Communication
• Innovation and Creativity
• Planning
• Analysis
• Decision Making
• Time Management
• Problem Solving
• Any other reasons.

Are they on lined paper, in a single coloured pen?

If your answer is ‘Yes’, then your notes probably have the following symptoms:

• No Visual Rhythm
• No Patterns
• Lack of Colour
• Little Imagination
• Minimal Visualisation
• One dimensional
• Absence of spatial awareness
• No Gestalt or big picture
• Little association between ideas

It is therefore not surprising that the following comes to mind when looking at linear notes:

• Boring
• Punishment
• Headaches
• Finger Cramps
• Homework
• Exams
• Time Wasting
• Failure
• Rigidity
• Depression
• Fear
• Study
• Etc.

It should not be surprising that normal, linear monotone notes are simply monotonous. After all ‘monotone‘ is the root of monotonous!

What does the brain do when things become monotonous and boring? It tunes out, turns of and goes to sleep.

We therefore end up with a global ‘sleeping sickness’ in response to learning.

Tony Buzan is very critical of this. In fact, this is what he writes in ‘The Mind Map Book’:

‘…We need only look at libraries in schools, universities, towns and cities around the world. What are half the people doing in those libraries? Sleeping! Our places of learning are becoming giant public bedrooms!…’

Our brains are in quandary. We have a dilemma on our hands.

Linear notes are largely responsible for this dilemma

Linear notes have four major disadvantages:

• They obscure the Key Words
• They make it difficult to remember
• They waste time
• They fail to stimulate the brain creatively

The main reason that linear notes have this disadvantage is that it does not allow our ‘left brain’ and our ‘right brain’ to interact with each other in a way that stimulates learning and engages our whole brain. Our note taking system actually encourages us to reject and forget.

Radiant Thinking

As I stated above, Tony Buzan calls this ‘The Major Evolution in Human Thought’.

Think about what happens in the brain when you experience any of the following:

• The smell of a ripe fruit
• The smell of fresh flowers
• Listening to music
• Watching a stream, river, or the ocean’s waves
• Touching a loved one
• Daydream

Is your answer both simple and yet extremely complex?

Each piece of information in your brain can be seen as the centre around which an unlimited number of other thoughts and ideas can radiate.

I covered the brain’s amazing powers in my article, ‘The Mind’s Unknown Potential’ on MindMapTutor.com.

Each thought, or idea, can be seen as a hook to which more things can be attached. This array of hooks acts as your memory bank, your database, your library.

The stronger the associations between these hooks are enforced, the easier it will be to tap into any of them at any time.

This Map of thoughts can be seen as a gigantic, Branching Association Machine, which strangely enough looks remarkably similar to the neurons, which make up the brain.

The more you learn to gather information in the way that the brain works. i.e. in an integrated, radiating, organised manner, the easier it is to learn more.

Radiant thinking therefore refers to associative thought processes that proceed from, or connect to a central point.

Mind Maps are an expression of Radiant Thinking

The third function of the brain stated above, is ‘outputting‘. If you think of a Mind Map, you will see the following:

• A Central Image or Theme
• Main Themes radiating out from the central theme
• Sub Themes radiating out from the main themes
• Branches as a subcentres of association
• Branches forming a connected nodal structure

The Mind Map is therefore an external representation of Radiant Thinking.

Even though it is drawn on a two dimensional surface, a Mind Map is a multidimensional representation of your thoughts, encompassing space, time and colour.

By using Mind Maps, you will naturally begin to not only use the amazing storage capacity of the brain, but also increase its storage efficiency. By increasing its storing efficiency, you will increase its storage capacity, as storing information efficiently multiplies your storage capacity.

The Way Forward

If you haven’t used Mind Maps before, you can do our Free Introductory course, which uses tangible objects to illustrate the principles. We feel this is necessary before you go on to more abstract thinking.

MindMapTutor.com also has many examples of Mind Maps which conform largely to the Principles of Tony Buzan. Look at these examples and start applying them in your daily life.

The Mind Maps on this site were created with iMindMap, but there are many other software packages, including free ones, that can take your Mind Mapping to another level.

Perhaps, my experiences with Mind Map software can be the topic of another article…

Mind Map of the Six Thinking Hats – Radiant Thinking meets Lateral Thinking

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Oct 17, 2009 in Mind Mapping, Mind Maps at Work, Mind Maps in Education | 1 comment

The thinking gurus

Edward de Bono is one of the leading authorities in the field of creative thinking. He also provides tools for lateral thinking. He is also the originator of ‘parallel thinking’ and also developed the ‘Six Thinking Hats‘ as a thinking framework.

Tony Buzan is the inventor of the Mind Map. He uses the term Radiant Thinking, which sees the brain’s thinking pattern as a gigantic Branching Association Machine. The more you learn and gather information in an integrated, radiating, organised manner, the easier it is to learn more.

As you may know by now, my main Blog, MindMapTutor.com, reveals that I am a huge fan of Mind Mapping because of its benefits and the competitive advantage it gives you.

But, does this exclude other ways of thinking? In many ways over the years, my new found love for Mind Mapping actually had the exact opposite effect of what it promoted. I became a thinking bigot! I rejected everything that was not Mind Mapping and did not even want to read about other forms of thinking and note taking.

Yet, everything is related and inter-related. Once I realised this, I started to introduce linear notes together with my Mind Maps and promoted the Cornell Method in our Learning Management Programme.

On MindMapTutor.com, started to introduce stories and linear notes in what I now label ‘MindMapTutors’.

An article like this one is a MindMapTutor. It contains a Mind Map overview as well as text expanding and illustrating the concepts.

Origins of Western Thinking

Western thinking has its roots in the three Greek masters, Socrates, Aristotle and Plato (SAP). This resulted in what I term ‘SAPPY THINKING’.

It is based on the following notions:

• You put forth an option
• You then have to prove that it is the correct option
• You build up arguments to defend your option

Others, in the meantime, are out to prove that your option is incorrect. They look for holes in your argument.

This sparks great debate, but also great arguments.

In the ‘Six Thinking Hats’ method, this is just one of the thinking hats. There are five others. See if you can recognise this hat after you have read the article.

Use the Six Thinking Hats in any order. By having a Mind Map framework, you are able to slot your thinking into the correct hat and evaluate the ‘whole picture’ much easier.

Also, use the Mind Map in this article to remember the six hats. The branches are colour coded to match the hats. I have also labelled the branches for black and white printers (and the colour blind folk).

There is a link to a bigger Full Colour PDF document at the end of the article for printing and better online viewing.

The Blue Hat – Overview

Think Sky! You are looking down at the problem from the sky. You have a bird’s eye view of the situation.

This hat is often controlled by one person in the group. This person normally serves as the chairperson, if it is a brainstorming session. The rules are defined, the time frame is managed and the wearing of one hat at a time is enforced.

Of course, if you are using the Six Thinking Hats to solve a problem on your own, you have to ensure that you only wear one hat at a time. This sounds easier than it really is.

Other Key Words that come to mind are:

• Goals
• Outcomes
• Objectives
• Big Picture

The next steps are then determined from this.

The White Hat – Information

Think Paper! Think Fax machine, photocopier, books.

Gather all information you have on the subject. This includes all forms of documentation, including Emails, Notes, Word Documents, Spreadsheets, Websites, Blogs. Once you have gathered the information, look at the facts. Try to be as objective as possible. Look at the known facts as well as the unknown facts.

An example of a known fact is: We know that the final game is in four weeks time. Who is going to be in the final, is perhaps not known. The former is a known fact, the latter and unknown fact. Both are often valuable in our thinking process.

The Yellow Hat – Benefits

Think Sunshine! Think of the positive, warm feeling of sun rays.

This looks at what is working. Focus on what’s working, not what is broken. Look for advantages of the current way and how it can be leveraged.

This is the time to add ideas. Look for positive ideas and try to add value. Piggy Back on other people’s ideas and see if you can make it even better.

Focus on the idea, not the person. An idea is often rejected, just because it came from a certain person.

Finally, look for a way forward.

The Green Hat – Creativity

Think Grass! Think vegetation. Think growth.

This is the creative hat. The green represents growth. Only by being creative and innovative can you grow. New ideas should be tabled without criticism. The other hats will evaluate whether you are going to implement it or not.

Think outside the box. We often limit ourselves by ‘boxing’ our thoughts. I ‘boxed’ my thoughts by not looking at other thinking methods, as I thought Mind Mapping was ‘it’!

Once I thought out of the box, I realised that I could still have articles like this, which uses Mind Maps, stories, anecdotes and examples and still teach and promote the use of Mind Maps and Mind Mapping.

Don’t edit your ideas at this point. There will be a time and place to edit. This is not it.

In this way, you will generate new ideas and new solutions – solutions that you would not have naturally thought of.

The Red Hat – Feelings

Think Heart! Think blood. Think about ‘seeing red’.

Emotions and feelings play a huge role in our lives and therefore need their own space. This is where you state how you feel about the matter. Often the heart thinks differently to the mind.

Many good decisions have been made on gut feelings.

When wearing this hat, don’t think about what you feel. Don’t justify your thinking.

This can normally be done very quickly as you are expressing what you are feeling and not thinking about it. A Mind Map is a great way to jot down your feelings in a short space of time.

Revisit your feelings after you have gone through the other hats. You may be surprised how your feelings have changed. If your feelings have changed, it is good. It means that the method is working.

The Black Hat – Caution

Think black spot on a dangerous road!

This is where you express caution. Caution is just a checkpoint to ensure that you are not running into dead ends. It also highlights the dangers and faults in your thinking.

While it focuses on the negatives, it is there to prevent time wasting.

Step back and have another look at whether your thinking is valid.

It is important to look at the idea and not the person. This is not an opportunity to attack the person.

Benefits of the Six Thinking Hats

• Streamlines your thinking
• Creates Mental Energy
• Enables you to make quick decisions
• Gets real group participation
• Focuses on the issue, not the person

I’m sure you will find many other benefits once you start using them.

You could create one Mind Map with six branches for a small problem. You could also create a separate Mind Map for each hat, if the problem is a bigger one.

I’ve tried to give a simple overview of the ‘Six Thinking Hats’. I hope that it is simple enough for your to understand the principles, yet have enough information for you to get a good grasp of the subject.

To paraphrase the great Einstein: I’ve tried to make things as simple as possible, but not simpler.

So, what are you waiting for? Put on a thinking hat and get going!

Download PDF File of the Six Thinking Hats Mind Map: six-thinking-hats

Do Mind Maps Really work?

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Oct 10, 2009 in Mind Mapping, Mind Maps at Work, Mind Maps in Education, Personal Mind Maps | 0 comments

This article is in response to an email from one of my subscribers. He mentions a few problems that he has with Mind Maps, which I hope to address here. If he has the problem, then the chances are that many of you may have the same or similar problems.

I would like to start by stating upfront that this is not a defence of Mind Maps. Mind Maps and Mind Mapping, like any other technique, has its champions and its detractors.

Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map, goes to great lengths to prove that linear is bad and Mind Maps are good. Yet many successful people all over the world still use linear methods to great effect.

My take on the matter is this: Take out of it whatever works for you, and discard what doesn’t. Tony Buzan, uses the analogy of the ancient Martial Arts’ story of students first having to accept what the master says without questioning anything, apply the principles themselves and then only adapt it to suit themselves.

In this way, students not only become the new masters, but become better than the masters. You cannot know if Mind Mapping works without trying it. Debating and questioning whether it works will never give you the correct answer. It will just enforce what you already believe.

Coming back to the concerns in the email, I would just like to summarise the concerns that the writer had.

He was concerned that:

• There was no advantage of the Mind Map over just clustering what seems to be the Key subject
• A Mind Map takes so much energy to fill in the space that others cannot understand your Mind Maps
• Mind Maps of 10 years ago cannot be understood, even by the creator as only a skeleton is there

These are all valid concerns. Let’s look at them one by one.

Clustering

I wrote an article a while ago called when is a Mind Map not a Mind Map? This also sparked a lot of debate. While I believe that Tony Buzan’s approach of a central image and branches radiating out from the central image creates structure and order, yet maintaining creativity, many people use clustering to great effect.

If clustering works for you use it. If you feel that it’s becoming chaotic, get closer to the Mind Map Principles.

Others cannot understand your Mind Map

I admit that a Mind Map containing only Key Words is very difficult to read by another person. It takes a lot of energy to ‘rebuild’ what the creator of the Mind Map intended.

I solve this in two ways:

1. I add more than key words to my branches. In my article on Mind Map Principles, I state that this is the Mind Mapping principle that I break the most frequently. I do this to make it easier for others to read my Mind Map. Most of my personal Mind Maps still use Keys Words as Key Words have the ability to radiate out in many different ways, stimulating creativity.
2. I give a linear text summary with my Mind Maps. I think this is quite a unique approach, but many people have commended me on my Mind Map summaries. Tim Goodenough, one of the authors of ‘In the Zone with South Afria’s sports heroes’ had the following to say about my article How to improve performance with Mind Maps – In the Zone:
   

   “Can I just say that very few people have been able to capture the essence of “In the Zone” as succinctly and as effectively as you have here.

   The combination of Mindmap and explanations that go beyond what was described in the book show a deep and rich understanding of what we were trying to get across, and as one of the authors can I say thank you for this great introduction to our work.

   Thank you for your great feedback, our hope was to be able to get this information ‘out there’ so that people reading the book can take as much or as little as they wanted, but still walk away with something meaningful that they can apply in their life.

   Warm regards
   Tim Goodenough”

Another way to solve this problem, would be the approach that Adam Sicinski of IQ Matrix uses. He provides detailed Mind Maps on many topics using a unique Mind Mapping approach. His Mind Maps can be used by anybody, as it ‘reads like a book’. There are many free Mind Maps on his sight for you to download and try.

I’ve decided to go the Mind Map summary route by providing the Key Concepts in a Mind Map, as well as a linear summary. I feel that it’s easier for most people to follow and remember, as the linear method is so entrenched in them. This method provides the best of both worlds.

This article mainly covers Mind Maps and memory as that was the gist of the email. There are many other applications of Mind Maps, of which many can be found on MindMapTutor.com. Here are a few applications of Mind Maps:

• Motivation
• Goal Setting
• Time Management
• Study Methods
• Memory
• Recall
• Writing
• Presentations
• Brain Storming
• Problem Solving
• And Much more…

Old Mind Maps cannot be understood, even by the creator

This may be true for Mind Maps that only use Key Words. If one of the two methods above were used, the Mind Maps would be understood without any problems.

Choosing the correct Key Words is essential. If the Mind Map was done for recall purposes, it is important that the Key Words chosen are the ones that trigger the correct recall. If you choose the incorrect Key Words, you could trigger an entirely different train of thought. While this may be good for creative pieces, it is terrible for learning and studying.

Key Words are important enough to be studied as a subject on its own. I will post a future article on Key Words to guide you in choosing and using Key Words.

In the meantime, I recommend that you use the principles Accept, Apply, Adapt. And don’t forget that I offer a free course on the basic principles of Mind Mapping. The course also gives you templates and uses free Mind Mapping software, which you can download and start using immediately.

Enrol now, it won’t cost you anything and there are no strings attached. It’s not often that an opportunity like this comes along!

Until next time…

Seven Habits – Mind Map PDF

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Oct 6, 2009 in Mind Mapping, Mind Maps at Work, Mind Maps in Education, Personal Mind Maps | 0 comments

I am publishing this PDF document of the Mind Map in my article, Seven Habits – Mind Map Summary, as many readers complained that they could not read the Mind Map.

I put a bit too much into the Mind Map for the space I have available in my blog post.

Sorry about that. I hope that this is much clearer.

Click Here for seven-habits-summary

Regards,

Faizel

Seven Habits – Mind Map Summary

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Oct 5, 2009 in Mind Maps at Work, Mind Maps in Education, Personal Mind Maps | 3 comments

How many times have you read a good motivational or self help book and thought to yourself, ‘Wow, what a great book!’ Yet, months and years later, you find that you don’t remember any of the principles nor implemented any of them.

The Mind Map is a great way to not only summarise the principles of a book, it is also a great way to easily review the principles and, more importantly, remember and implement the principles.

I hope this summary of Stephen R. Covey’s ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ will help you to understand the possibilities of Mind Map summaries, inspire you to do some of your own and get an overview of the Seven Habits described in the book.

Don’t forget that there are lots of articles available on MindMapTutor.com to tutor and guide you in the applications of Mind Maps and Mind Mapping.

Paradigms and Principles

The Character Ethic is the basis on which motivational literature was based for hundreds of years, but shortly after World War I, the personality ethic was introduced into motivational literature.

The character ethic was based on basic principles like:

• Integrity
• Humility
• Justice
• Courage
• Etc.

The personality ethic however was based on ‘tricks’ to get you what you want. These ‘tricks’ were often based on bad principles. As long as you got what you want, it was deemed to be successful.

Returning to the character ethic is at the heart of the book.

Inside Out

Covey suggest that you start ‘inside out’. This means that you have to work on your character first and build up a set of core principles by which you live. These core principles will ensure that you develop highly effective habits and enable you to achieve your goals and dreams.

He goes on to say that you need to get Private Victories first and Public Victories second.

His Maturity Model describes the phases that you will go through on your road to self development. The phases are:

• Dependence
• Independence
• Interdependence

You have to become Independent before you can become Interdependent. Interdependence is where the real value lies.

Private Victory

1. Be Proactive

Being reactive is described as reacting to stimulus without thinking. Animals behave like this.

Being Proactive, according to Covey, means that, unlike animals, humans are able to create a pause between stimulus and response. It is during this pause that humans can choose their response. The response you choose is based on your character development. The better your character is developed, the better your response will be.

2. Begin with the end in mind

You are asked to do a visualization exercise. Picture the end of your life, as this will be the frame of reference by which you will build your character. As yourself what principles you would like to be remembered by. By keeping the principles by which you want to be remembered by firmly in your mind, you will start to develop habits that grow and enforce the principles in your daily life and guide all your actions.

Covey uses a concept called Roles and Goals to help you define what you would like to be remembered as. At any point in life, you could play the following roles:

Student
Worker
Son/Daughter
Father/Mother
Sibling
Etc.

Write down the roles that you perform in your own life. Now write down goals for each of these roles based on the ‘end in mind’. Now ask yourself whether you are living by the principles that will achieve the end you have in mind.

3. Put first things first

This topic will normally be classified as Time Management. Covey says that time management is easy. All you have to do is organise around priorities. He quotes Goethe that said:
‘Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter least.’

The two items that determine this are importance and urgency. By prioritizing around this you are easily able to say no to unimportant things. Use the Roles and Goals of the previous section to help you determine this.

Also, by focusing on important, not urgent matters you will become proactive, which in Covey’s terms means the opposite of reactive.

Public Victory

According to Covey, Interdependence is better than Independence, but you need to have Independence first. Private Victory comes before Public Victory. By focusing on the first three habits, you will get Private Victory. You will then be able to go on to the next habits.

4. Think Win Win

The goal of this habit is to think win win. You must go into all your dealings thinking of what is in it for everybody involved. By doing this you will create an abundance mentality, which believes that there is ‘enough to go around’. You don’t have to get ahead at the expense of someone else. Take them along with you.

To do this you have to balance consideration and courage. You need high consideration and high courage to negotiate win win solutions. By having these qualities, you will ensure that all deals benefit everybody involved. In fact, your motto should become ‘Win Win or No Deal’. You must have the courage to call off the deal if you feel that somebody will lose along the way.

Thinking Win Win is not the easy solution. It the solution looking for the third alternative, the solution that neither thought of, the solution that benefits everyone. This is a better solution than a compromise, which requires at least one of the parties to lose, or settle for less.

5. Seek first to understand then to be understood

Covey describes this habit as the single most important principle that he has learned in the field of interpersonal relations. This habit is the key to effective communication.

It consists of the following:

• Empathetic listening
• Listening to understand
• Diagnosing before you prescribe
• Then to be understood

6. Synergize

As quoted in the book:

“… When properly understood, synergy is the highest activity in all life – the true test and manifestation of all the other habits put together… ”

In terms of outcomes, I see this as the single most important outcome of ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.’

When Synergy is reached:

• The whole greater than the sum of the parts
• The solution is better than the solution of any of the individuals involved
• There is always a third alternative
• Compromise is not required

Renewal

7. Sharpen Saw

Physical

• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Stress Management

Social/Emotional

• Service
• Empathy
• Synergy
• Intrinsic security

Spirititual

• Clarification of Values
• Commitment to Values
• Study
• Meditation

Mental

• Reading
• Visualizing
• Planning
• Writing

Inside out again

Remember that the difference between us and animals is the gap between stimulus and response. By pausing after receiving a stimulus, you create the freedom to choose your response.

Practice this by ‘standing’ in the gap and visualising a stimulus. Can you choose your response? Can you influence the stimulus?

If you can, then you are well on your way to being Proactive and mastering the ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’.

Mind Mapping would have spared us this fine mess

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Sep 12, 2009 in Mind Maps at Work, Personal Mind Maps | 0 comments

This is the topic of a ‘Business Day’ article and describes Tony Buzan’s view on the world economic crisis.

He states that if business leaders had graduated with Master of Business Intelligence degrees as opposed to MBAs, the world may not be in the pickle it is at the moment.

Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Mapping, recently toured South Africa and, at 67, he still has a hectic schedule. He claims that his brain is sharper now at 67 than it was at 40.

Intellectual Bankruptcy

He also states that it is obvious from reading business papers and magazines such as the Wall Street Journal that it was a lack of intellect that caused the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Business leaders are taught at business schools about making short-term profits and satisfying the needs of shareholders.

Very little thinking goes into strategic planning, long-term visioning, ethics, social intelligence, creativity and innovation.

He agrees with the Wall Street Journal that the recession and bankruptcies were caused by the bankruptcy of applied intelligence. But, it can be taught.

Intelligence ‘Muscles’

We can develop the muscles of intelligence, our brains, in the same way that we develop the muscles of our bodies.

The Mind Map can unlock the brain’s potential by providing radiant thinking, the ability to reach out in all directions. It is the whole brain alternative to linear thinking and can catch thoughts from any angle.

The boundaries of our brains must be pushed, as in reality there are no boundaries. By using Mind Maps we naturally push the boundaries of our brains.

Bill Gates is reported to have said that ‘intelligence agents and Mind Mappers are taking our information democracy to the next stage.’

Geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill and Thomas Edison all use the major elements of Mind Mapping.

Tony Buzan also displays dismay at our lack of brain usage and lists the multiple intelligences we can develop.

Verbal Intelligence

There is a strong link between the word power of an individual and success. If you can express yourself well, you’ll get ahead and achieve what you want to a great deal faster.

Numerical Intelligence

Our ability to use numbers is much greater than we believe it to be. Those who can think without computers and calculators will have an immediate advantage over those that can’t.

Social Intelligence

The more skilled we are at getting along with others, the more successful we will be in every social situation

Personal Intelligence

You need to be your own best friend and colleague. You are often alone in business and you need to like yourself, if you don’t want to be in deep trouble.

Physical Intelligence

Physical Intelligence is having strength, flexibility, overall health and, above all, stamina. This requires a good cardiovascular system. Politicians of the last 20 years have realised that being fit and strong makes them more powerful leaders.

Sensory Intelligence

Sensory, ethical and spiritual intelligence measures compassion, concern and social responsibility. This will grow your love for your team and people generally.

Modern leaders and multiple intelligences

Barack Obama is a good example of someone who has developed his multiple intelligences. According to his friends, he is witty, speaks well, is fit and is verbally and mathematically intelligent.

Tony Buzan practices what he preaches. He rows 10km every day, does martial arts, swims long distance and goes to gym regularly.

His diet consists of vegetables as its base, lots of fruit and nuts, and fresh fish and fresh meat. He consumes very little gluten and dairy, and writes poetry.

Utopia for him would be for all the intelligences to be raised in everyone, everywhere, with a resultant intelligent use of resources and a more artistic, musical, healthy, sensual and energetic world.

In Tony Buzan’s recent visit to South Africa, he stated the we are at the end of the Informaiton Age. Information overload is the ‘death knell’ for the Information Age.

Even billionaire investor Warren Buffett says “in future you’ll be able to recognise billionaires because they will be the only ones without a mobile”, alluding to the fact that we are surrounded by technology that constantly disrupts thinking.

Develop your Multiple Intelligences

Now have a look at the Mind Map below of your different intelligences and start putting a plan in place to grow each one of them.