Thinking Outside the Box
By zigzagbuddha
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
United States
August 25, 2008 9:46am CST
A friend forwarded an email to me that was supposedly a question that some company used in their job applications. The question asked who you would offer a ride to if you were driving along and saw and old lady about to keel over and die, an old friend who had once saved your life, and the lover of your dreams, all standing at a bus stop.
I immediately thought I would offer a ride to the friend who had once saved my life. The thing is I pride myself on being a 'lateral thinker' and was very annoyed to find that the answer that got the job was 'give the keys to my friend to drive the old lady to the hospital and stay behind with my 'dream lover' to catch the bus.
I immediately did a google search for exercises in thinking outside the box. I found this website which is my new favorite website... it is chock full of useful information!
http://www.increasebrainpower.com/index.html
3 people like this
5 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
25 Aug 08
I vote with you on picking up the old friend. First off, a dream lover is not of interest to me as I've been happily married to the same sweet guy over 40 years now. Second, I never let anyone else drive my car. Third, there is now way of knowing by by sight alone that an old lady is about to keel over and die and if one's knowing is of the occult kind, then one could presumably heal the old lady on the instant and go about one's business, so to that one I would say, unless one has "unusual" powers one should mind one's own business.
I agree with one of the tips on that IncreaseBrainPower site very much, though, and that is the one entitled "Sit Up Straight"--duhh, how else are we going to get oxygen up to the brain while doing work that requires sitting. It is important to get up and move around from time to time, too! I think I'll go move around a bit at the mall just now as I've heard there is a sale on Mossimo T's.
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
26 Aug 08
We had some grocery shopping to do on the way to the mall, and while we were in the store a big storm came up and the lightning knocked the power out in the whole neighborhood and then it started to rain really hard. So that was a lot of excitement out here in the desert. When they got power back up so that the registers worked at the checkout, we left and instead of going to another store, we drove up on a ridge and watched the storm. That was so much fun!
Here is a picture I took shortly thereafter with the sun trying to peek through the clouds.
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
27 Aug 08
How funny... it was storming here right about that time too! I LOVE a storm!!!! And I agree... much better to sit up on a ridge watching one and capturing shots of it than to be walking around in a mall!!
1 person likes this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
26 Aug 08
Hahahaha, well, brilliant minds and all that!
I am heartily in favor of people minding their own business! And I have had too many dream lovers turn into the stuff nightmares are made of so I won't be tricked by that illusion again!
Hehehe, did you find some great things at your sale?
2 people like this
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
25 Aug 08
The logic solution would have been to drive the old lady to the hospital yourself as it probably would have gotten her there faster than calling an ambulance, lol. But of course a company wants to see that you rather cause somebody else to be late than for them to lose your valuable worktime by taking a detour to the hospital.
Now, personally I would have answered that I would call 911 for the old lady and then, if the other two go in the same direction as I am to work, then I would offer both of them a ride. My car is big enough to take all three, but I'm not equipped to handle a defib in case the old lady croaks on me in the car, lol
Those 'think outside the box' type answers can have a multitude of 'outside the box' answers. It's stupid to just say one is the best. But yes, companies use these to judge whether an applicant is creative and thinks quick on his or her toes;)
1 person likes this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
25 Aug 08
Well, I forgot to mention that in the question it specified that 'your car would only hold 1 other person'. And yeah, the answer that 'got the job' would not have been the only answer... like you said it was just a tool that they used to identify the applicants that could 'think on their feet'. Obvioulsy, in spite of my previous beliefs about myself, I'm not one of them.
1 person likes this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
25 Aug 08
Oops! I wondered where my first sad face disappeared too! Hehehe, I did not mean to have him at the beginning of my comment!
1 person likes this
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
25 Aug 08
This sounds familiar. I think one of my friends sent me this email. Needless to say, I did not get the right answer. But then, I am used to "not getting the right answers." I would be shocked if, by chance, I get the right answer.
Thanks for the link, anyway. Will have a look at it.
Cheers and happy mylotting
1 person likes this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
25 Aug 08
Why would a link to somebodies website be copyrighted?? It's not like I am wanting to use the name of their website for my own, nor am I claiming authorship of anything written there!
1 person likes this
@CJscott (4187)
• Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
19 Aug 09
Let your friend help save another life while you stay with your dream girl...I love it.
It is probably the conclusion I would come to if I was actually faced with the decision, but they didn't give that option, they asked who would you give the ride too...they didn't say you couldn't either, it is a trick question.
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
19 Aug 09
Hahahaha... when I read your first sentence I thought you were implying that I was a lesbian! Not that it matters, but I sure did (briefly) wonder whatever had given you that idea! Hehehehe. I will definitely stay with the girl of my dreams though, since I AM that girl!
And personally, I have come to the conclusion that every question is a trick question, because there is no such thing as 'no'... if you are saying no to something the universe interprets that as 'yes' because you are shining the light of your attention on it... which is like headlights pointing in the direction you are intending to travel. The trick is finding the 'yes' aspect to every question you are faced with. And the 'yes' with the most 'yeses' contained within it is usually the best yes! That way your headlights are always pointed in a direction that is pleasing to you.
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
20 Aug 09
I am not indifferent. Not at all.
What is so sad about this being a "YES!" universe???