One of SixThinkingHats.RedHat.GutFeelings
 
Emotions, what you really think in your heart and belly. 

If a meeting is being held because of a crisis of some kind, a RedHat can be used early in the sequence of hats to clear the air of feelings so that people can get that over with and start thinking.

When making a decision, a RedHat is often used at the end. As people learn about the possible options under the other hats, their feelings about the options should be influenced by the information. Feelings thus provide a summing-up of opinions about the options, and the RedHat allows that to be expressed and exploited.

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Q: Is there some connection between the RedHat of SixThinkingHats, and RedHatTheCompany, maker of RedHatLinux?  Anybody know?''

A: I think it is a coincidence. The name RedHat comes from an actual red hat (from the Cornell University lacrosse team). I seem to recall seeing this somewhere on the redhat.com site, but I can't find it now. 

A2: Here are two links that claim the same story though
* http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-514446.html
* http://www.businessleader.com/bl/jan00/cover.html.

Perhaps one should avoid a RedHat tag to reduce confusion with the company. Maybe use the other five colors first. The existence of the other colors in context will reduce the chance of confusing it with the company if and when you run out of the five.

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Next: BlueHat.MetaThinking
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