Brainstorming tip:
When you lead a group ideation session sometimes it’s good to anticipate the potentially difficult players in advance to head off the problems.There are many types of problem children who could mess up the process. Here I’m going to talk about a group who is not necessarily a problem because they can’t play well with others. But more their presence often presents a problem because of where they are on the org chart, not who they are as individuals.
I’m talking about the big cheeses. The bosses. The heavy hitters.
These are the people who, because of their positions, wield all kinds of influence on the brainstorming process, where they intend to or not. It’s best to handle that potential dysfunction in advance to head off any possible issues before they happen.
Here’s what I do. I call together all persons of rank a few minutes before the actual brainstorming begins and speak to them as a group. I don’t single out anyone. I don’t pull anyone aside individually. I remind them, if they’re not aware, that their very presence in a brainstorming session might put a damper on the process.
I mean, we’re looking for new ideas here, friends. By definition, new ideas are unproven. It’s not easy volunteering a truly new idea in front of the boss, no matter how open a corporate culture might be.
I work with a lot of top executives, and I have to tell you some of the most hollow words in business are “our people are allowed to fail.” Funny, but your people don’t seem to know that.
So in my little pre-brainstorming pep talk I tell these executives, “It’s not you, personally, It’s your position.” Could it be them personally? Sure. But it’s easier to speak to their positions, so it’s not a personal thing.
Here are my simple executive coaching tips:
1) Hold back early - don’t volunteer too many ideas too quickly
2) Don’t judge other’s ideas in the early going
3) When you volunteer an idea, make sure the first one is a little far out
Let’s look at all three little pieces of advice in detail.
1) Hold back early
Leaders in business got to be leaders often because they’re smart and quick. Most of them probably have five new ideas before the whistle blows to start the ideation session. But if they speak up early it does two things. One, it directs the flow of ideas in their team. And, two, it sets the bar. After that the others aren’t on a zero-based mission to find fresh ideas, now they’re trying to fulfill the vision they think the top player started.
2) Don’t judge too early
Again high-level execs are smart and quick. And maybe even smarter and quicker when judging other’s ideas.
Yes, they might be right on that some new idea volunteered by an underling might be less than brilliant. But by voicing that evaluation early on in the brainstorming process they are likely to shut down that individual for the rest of the session.
There’s plenty of time to judge ideas later.
3) Make sure your early ideas are “out there”
Again, all truly new ideas are unproven. Many can sound more than a little silly the first time they are articulated. And that’s okay. More than okay, it’s a very good thing.
Well, nothing sets the silly bar like having one of the big wigs in the group volunteering a space shot of an idea. It gives all others permission to think more broadly. And, heck, it just might be brilliant.
In the over 1,000 brainstorming sessions I’ve facilitated I can tell you the silly ideas are a lot closer to brilliant than the “smart” ideas.
Help the leaders be better brainstorm players and you’ll have a better session and better ideas.
© 2006 Tom Monahan, all rights reserved.
