Thinking Differently: How Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Can Empower Local Government Coaching
- truthaboutlocalgov
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
In the dynamic world of local government, officers are often required to juggle competing priorities, navigate complex stakeholder relationships, and lead teams through change. As the demand for adaptive leadership grows, so too does the need for effective coaching skills. One powerful framework that can support this development is Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats—a model that encourages structured, multi-perspective thinking.
In this blog, we’ll explore the core principles of the Six Thinking Hats, summarise what each hat represents, and examine how local government officers can apply this model to enhance their coaching practice and leadership effectiveness.
“The main difficulty of thinking is confusion. We try to do too much at once. Emotions, information, logic, hope and creativity all crowd in on us. It’s like juggling with too many balls.”— Edward de Bono
What Are the Six Thinking Hats?
The Six Thinking Hats represent six distinct modes of thinking. By metaphorically “wearing” each hat in turn, individuals and teams can explore problems and opportunities from multiple angles, leading to more balanced and innovative decisions.
Here’s a breakdown of each hat:
🟢 Green Hat – Creativity
The Green Hat represents creative thinking. It’s about generating new ideas, exploring alternatives, and thinking outside the box. This hat encourages innovation and possibility.
Key question: What are some alternative ways of looking at this?
⚪ White Hat – Information
The White Hat focuses on facts, data, and objective information. It involves gathering what is known, identifying what is missing, and analysing information without bias.
Key question: What do we know? What do we need to know?
🔴 Red Hat – Emotions
The Red Hat allows for the expression of feelings, intuitions, and gut reactions. It legitimises emotional input without the need for justification.
Key question: How do I feel about this right now?
⚫ Black Hat – Caution
The Black Hat is the critical thinker. It identifies risks, potential problems, and logical flaws. While often seen as negative, it plays a vital role in risk management and quality control.
Key question: What could go wrong? What are the weaknesses?
🟡 Yellow Hat – Optimism
The Yellow Hat is the lens of positivity. It looks for value, benefits, and feasibility. It’s about identifying what could go right and why an idea might work.
Key question: What are the strengths? What’s the value in this?
🔵 Blue Hat – Process Control
The Blue Hat is the organiser. It manages the thinking process, sets objectives, and ensures that the other hats are used effectively. It’s often worn by the facilitator or coach.
Key question: What is the next step? How should we proceed?
Why This Matters for Local Government Officers
Local government officers operate in environments that are often politically sensitive, resource-constrained, and subject to public scrutiny. They must balance strategic vision with operational delivery, all while managing teams and engaging communities.
The Six Thinking Hats model offers a structured yet flexible approach to thinking that can help officers:
Make better decisions under pressure
Facilitate inclusive and productive meetings
Coach team members through complex challenges
Foster a culture of innovation and psychological safety
Applying the Six Thinking Hats in Coaching
For officers who are developing as coaches, the Six Thinking Hats can serve as a powerful framework for structuring coaching conversations. Here’s how each hat can be used in a coaching context:
🔵 Start with the Blue Hat: Setting the Agenda
Begin by clarifying the purpose of the session. What does the coachee want to explore? What outcome are they hoping for?
Example prompt: “Let’s define what we want to achieve in this session. What’s the key issue you’d like to work through?”
⚪ White Hat: Exploring the Facts
Encourage the coachee to lay out the facts. What’s happening? What data or evidence is available?
Example prompt: “What do you know for certain about this situation? What information is missing?”
🔴 Red Hat: Acknowledging Emotions
Invite the coachee to share their feelings. This helps build trust and surfaces emotional drivers that may be influencing their behaviour.
Example prompt: “How are you feeling about this situation? What’s your gut telling you?”
🟡 Yellow Hat: Identifying Positives
Help the coachee explore what’s working well or what opportunities exist. This builds confidence and motivation.
Example prompt: “What’s going well? What strengths can you draw on?”
⚫ Black Hat: Considering Risks
Encourage the coachee to think critically. What are the potential downsides or obstacles?
Example prompt: “What could go wrong if you take this approach? What should you watch out for?”
🟢 Green Hat: Generating Options
Now it’s time to brainstorm. What are some creative solutions or alternative approaches?
Example prompt: “What’s another way you could tackle this? What haven’t you tried yet?”
🔵 Return to the Blue Hat: Summarising and Planning
Wrap up by reviewing insights and agreeing on next steps.
Example prompt: “What have you learned today? What’s your next action?”
Using the Hats in Team Leadership
Beyond one-to-one coaching, the Six Thinking Hats can be used to structure team discussions, especially when tackling complex issues or generating new ideas. For example:
In a service redesign workshop: Use the Green Hat to brainstorm new delivery models, the White Hat to assess current performance data, and the Black Hat to identify implementation risks.
In a performance review meeting: Use the Red Hat to explore how team members feel about their roles, the Yellow Hat to highlight achievements, and the Blue Hat to plan development goals.
By rotating through the hats, leaders ensure that all voices are heard and that decisions are well-rounded.
Benefits for Coaching and Leadership Development
For local government officers aspiring to become more effective coaches, the Six Thinking Hats offer several key benefits:
Clarity: Helps structure conversations and reduce overwhelm.
Balance: Encourages exploration of both logic and emotion.
Inclusivity: Validates different thinking styles and perspectives.
Creativity: Promotes innovation while managing risk.
Confidence: Provides a repeatable process for tackling challenges.
Final Thoughts: Thinking Hats as a Leadership Toolkit
Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats is more than a thinking model—it’s a leadership toolkit. For local government officers managing people and navigating complexity, it offers a practical way to think more clearly, coach more effectively, and lead with greater impact.
As de Bono once said:
“You can analyse the past, but you have to design the future.”
By adopting the Six Thinking Hats, local government leaders can do just that—design better conversations, better decisions, and ultimately, better outcomes for their teams and communities.
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