The document discusses thinking and its importance. It defines thinking as the act of manipulating information in the mind to form concepts, reason, solve problems, and make decisions. Thinking is a mental process that is unique to humans and enables abilities like language, imagination, learning, reasoning, and decision making. Sustained and independent thinking requires courage, especially in an age where society prefers non-thinking. The document advocates for developing thinking leadership, questioning assumptions, and changing patterns of thinking to produce new outcomes. It emphasizes that what we focus our thoughts on affects our outlook and that productive thinking can initiate positive self-talk while worrying is counterproductive.

1. Project School Library
Breakfast Meeting 9
21st November 2015
Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikeja
Thinking:
The Inner Life of the Mind
Richard O. Ikiebe

2. Definitions
Thinking is “the alert,
meticulous, probing,
logical critical use of the
mind.” J. I. Parker
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Thinking: the act of
manipulating information in
the mind to form concepts, to
reason, to engage in problem
solving, and to make decisions
Thinking: The act of engaging
in a mental process - thinking
produces thoughts. A thought
may be an idea, an image, a
sound or even an emotional
feeling that arises from the
brain
Dr. J. I Parker

3. Introduction
Thinking is a vast
area of Leadership &
Cognitive studies
It is a type of mental
process – something
that individuals do
with their minds
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The general scope of a
mental process includes
perception, memory,
thinking, volition, and
emotion

4. Intelligence Enables Humans to Think
and Experience
To retain and use language
to communicate
to form and hold concepts
to imagine
to learn
to understand
To reason and apply logic
to comprehend ideas
to solve problems
to make decisions
to plan
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Through intelligence,
humans possess
abilities:

5. The Inner Life of the Mind
The inner life of the mind is perhaps the most
neglected area in the experience of living
Humans alone have capacity for self-
awareness and for thinking themselves into
problems and out of problems
Most other animals operate on the basis of
instincts
Thinking is the foundation for human
experiences whether guided or misguided
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Human’s ability to think is a
stewardship for which we
would be accountable
Neglected leads to loss, but
when put to the right use is
highly profitable

7. AN UNTHINKING GENERATION
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8. The Bondage of Groupthink
Our generation’s rejection of vigorous
thinking, and its preference for contracted
thinking has placed many of us in bondage of
‘group think’ – where others think for us
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9. Fat Minds
“We live in a war zone
against independent
thinking.”
Pace and pressure of
today’s life make finding
time for reflection difficult
‘Leaders’ play roles
flung at them;
investment little thought
of their own!
Dr. Os Guinness, Thinker &
Author of Fit Bodies, Fat Minds

10. Sustained & Unrelenting Thinking
Socrates said, “The
unexamined (unthinking) life is
not worth living.”
Refusal or failure to think is not
limited to any one race, or
group; it is everywhere
No (nation or firm) could rise
above the collective thinking
level of its leaders and people -
Voltaire
Collective thinking level reflects
the level of development in the
company or nation

11. A Conformist Society
Thinking, on its own, is a hard
undertaking
But thinking in a largely unthinking
and unquestioning age is twice as
hard
People of purpose, must break
ranks with a thoughtless society in
a conformist age
Intelligence is a gift; thinking
develops and promotes it…
unwillingness to think is the
highest form of laziness

12. UNTHINKING:
THE CONSEQUENCES
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13. Not thinking? Bad for Living
Thinking choices we make adversely
affect our happiness and
performance
Through ineffective thinking (worry),
we often sabotage our own
happiness or life fulfilment
We become our own worst enemies
when we choose to worry rather than
think productively
Our choice also affect the happiness
and wellbeing of others around us
Shakespeare in Hamlet wrote: There
is nothing good or bad but thinking
makes it so.”
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14. Faulty Thinking
Anger, self- pity, anxiety, depression and a
feeling of rejection are all the products of
faulty use of the mind – faulty thinking
Other problems related to faulty thinking may
include: shyness, relationship conflicts,
suspicion and mistrust, loneliness, lack of
ability to concentrate, boredom
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15. Why some People chose not to Think
It is too artificial or mechanical
It is too intellectual
It is too superficial, non-organic
It is too hard
Everyman or woman must take responsibility
for who they are… to do this, they must own
their mind and use it to think for themselves.
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16. Thinking…Feeling…Action
Action is the end product of effective thinking
Thinking invariably affects how you feel and
what you do...
We truncate the process if thinking does not
end with positive action
Effective and independent thinking requires
courage
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17. CAN AFRICANS THINK?
DO AFRICANS THINK?
WILL AFRICANS THINK?
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18. Lugard’s Characterisation of the Black
Race
Lacking in (1) self- control, (2) discipline, and (3)
foresight
Full of (4) personal vanity, with (5) little sense of
veracity, fond of music
His (6) thoughts are concentrated on the events and
feelings of the moment, and he (7) suffers little from
the apprehension for the future, or grief for the past
He (8) lacks the power of organisation, and is
conspicuously (9) deficient in the management and
control alike of men or business.
He loves the (10) display of power, but fails to realize
its responsibility
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19. Why are we thus?
Can Black people build prosperous societies?
Most, if not all Black nations remain stuck in
chronic poverty and under-development
Why? What are the root-causes?
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20. Why We Are The Way We Are
Slavery denied us our best resources
Colonialism denied us our natural evolution
Ethnicity deadly rivalry and mutual distrust
Environment made us laidback
Government Corrupt, visionless, small-minded
Just about every reason cited for the
backwardness of Black nations has been so
debunked by time
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21. The Power of Thought
The power of script… the written word
Through the ages, Africa – home of humanity’s oldest
race/civilisation has failed to produce for records his
thoughts
We have failed to documented our thoughts for
succeeding generations and provide them with a
foundation upon which to build
For generations, we have reinvented the wheel over
and over again
And now we borrow the thoughts and ideas of others
Alien thoughts, alien ideas… unresolvable alien
problems
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THINKING LEADERSHIP
What Separates Humans From Other Living Organisms is the Unique Ability to Think

23. Voltaire
“No problem can
withstand the assault
of sustained
thinking.”

24. Leaders Are Thinkers
Thinking is a key ingredient of leadership;
it separates leaders from followers
The old order remains if the old order is
not rigorously questioned with renewed
thinking
“All human development, no matter what
form it takes, must be outside the rules;
otherwise, we would never have anything
new.” Charles Kettering

25. Thinking Abilities
• Think conceptually
• Thinking analytically
• Think strategically
– Think creatively
• Think globally &
locally
• Think markets
• Think technologically
• Focus on customers
• Challenge Status-quo
& Opposition
• Spot opportunities
• Set goals
• Set and balance
agendas
• Develop industry
knowledge
• Develop networks

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Thinking LEADERSHIP
Transforming LEADERSHIP

27. Steve Jobs – Thinking as a forte
The whole world celebrated Steve Jobs
only 56 at death
Why? Jobs changed the way we think
about computers and how we use them
Time magazine said one of Job’s “most
astounding feats”, was that he taught “an
entire company to think like Steve Jobs.”
Not surprising, Apple stocks were largely
unaffected by the death

28. Triumphs of Thinking
Apple 1997 theme was “Think Differently”
– it began the first major breakthrough for Apple
after a long stretch of failures
– That year, iMac became the best selling
computer in America and the rebirth of Apple
“The way… to survive is to innovate our way
out...”
--- Streve Jobs
At the heart of all innovation is thinking

29. Are You A Thinking Person?
Is Your Family a Thinking Family?
Is Your School a Thinking Scholl?
Is your Organisation a Thinking Organisation?
Who is thinking for You.. Your Family…
Your School and for Your Organisation?
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30. GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE THINKING
To worry is a form of thinking. But it is counter-
productive; indeed it can be negative and toxic. It
affects all around it.
Fear and despair most times are products of
“thinking.”
A single train of thought can lead to a downward
spiral into negativism created by baseless fear
Fear leads to powerlessness and hopelessness
Fear feeds on negative thinking and negative
outlook
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31. Initiates Positive Self-talk
Negative self talk intensifies depression/despair
CHANGE the thinking process/patterns… the
Mind affects mood
When you change your mind, you are likely to
change your MOOD
What you focus your thoughts continuously on
affects your outlook
Two persons in similar circumstances react
differently because they bring different
OUTLOOKS to the table of thinking
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32. Producing the New Normal
“Inside the farm of productive and successful
innovation, there are no sacred cows.”
QUESTION ALL YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
Ask – Why? Is it necessary? Can we do it better?
Thinking outside the box is the persistent
interrogation of the old or current normal
It can be neurotic. But if done well, it produces
the new normal, which soon becomes out-dated
The you begin all over again…
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