How to Make the Most Important Decisions with Colored Hats

Have you ever been in a meeting where you’re discussing a new idea with your colleagues, and suddenly the room fills with arguments both for and against it?

What starts as a creative exchange quickly turns into a whirlwind of opinions, interruptions, conflicting views, and vague conclusions. These conversations often become chaotic — full of energy but lacking direction. And when the meeting ends, you leave feeling more confused than when you started: no decision, no clarity, and sometimes even less confidence in the idea than before.

This happens more often than we admit. And yet, it’s not necessarily because the idea was bad — but because we lacked a method. A structure. A way to allow the idea to breathe, evolve, and be examined without being strangled too early by criticism, nor distorted by blind enthusiasm.

That’s where Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” come in — a powerful technique that invites teams to look at