I was able to listen to a couple of talks over the holiday break on the topic of "genius" and what it really means to be a “genius”.

I won’t repeat those speeches here and would encourage you to have a look at this TED talk by Elisabeth Gilbert and to this Thought Leaders Showcase speech by Natasha Pincus.

It prompted to me to think about patterns of genius, and what the BEHAVIOURS of genius are, and how can you BE a genius?

Walt Disney is someone that has frequently been described as a genius and I think rightly so … AND … Disney had a PROCESS for his version of genius.

The story goes that when you would meet with Walt you didn’t know which Walt you were going to find.  There was:

DREAMER Walt – Creative and big picture, where anything was possible

REALIST Walt – Action oriented discovering what needs to be in place to make it happen

CRITIC Walt – Logically looking for traps or problems to be avoided.

Robert Dilts later developed something called the “Disney Pattern” which went so far as to include different postures for each phase.

Dilts encouraged people to use the Disney Pattern the way you would use DeBono’s 6 thinking hats.

I use the Disney Pattern to develop my new year plans.  I like nothing more than adopting the DREAMER posture and mindset to consider what might be possible whilst floating in a pool or lazing in a hammock.  I then run my ideas through the REALIST questions and finally sure things up with a good dose of CRITIC.  

The holiday break between Christmas and New Year is my favourite DREAMER time and I reckon a great time for you too to think about making your new years resolutions more resolute.  

Here's how it works:

The objective of the DREAMER phase is to generate ideas and talk
through a goal in positive terms.   Ask yourself:

• What might I want to do?
• How might I do it?
• What ideas might I have?
• How will I know when I have succeeded?

In the REALIST phase, you want to make sure the idea is realistic and that you have the right timing, people and resources.  Ask yourself:

• How will the idea be implemented?
• How will I know if the goal has been achieved?
• Who will do it?
• Where will each step take place?

When taking on the role of CRITIC you need to consider eventualities
and make sure the plan won’t stumble.  Ask yourself:

• Why might someone object to this idea?
• What would prevent this idea from becoming a reality?
• Where don’t I want this implemented?
• What is good about the current situation that I don’t want to
  discard in favour of this new idea?