Brainstorming Sessions Generate Ideas
An old adage warns that “there’s nothing more dangerous than an idea, if it is the only idea you have.” In other words, “the more the merrier” when it comes to creative ideas in business.
Q: My managers have suggested that we conduct a “brainstorming” session to generate some new thinking with respect to our company and the direction it should take in the future. I’m not opposed, but would like to conduct such an exercise in a way that produces the best positive results. Any recommendations?
A: Brainstorming is a popular and productive way to generate new ideas and approaches. Pioneered by Alex Osborne, the advertising genius, it is a simple technique for inducing an unfettered idea flow about a topic, issue, product, problem or proposal.
It can be as simple as getting a group of qualified people together for a free-wheeling discussion. By “qualified” I mean individuals who have some familiarity with the target topic and who can be expected to have at least some ability to contribute.
There are, however, a few guidelines that, if followed, will make the entire exercise more fertile. Conduct the session in a comfortable room where no participant can be perceived as dominant.
A facilitator can help jump start the flow with a few ideas of his or her own. But such a session leader should fade quickly once the participants get cranking.
It’s always best to focus the discussion on a single issue or question. The goal is to encourage as many new and different - even off-the-wall - ideas as possible.
In the opening minutes of the session, the quantity of ideas is more important than their quality. Participants should have no fear of criticism. They must feel free to voice any thought or idea, or build upon those that have already been submitted.
Typically, one person’s idea will trigger another person’s thought process and produce another idea. As the ideas are generated, the facilitator can write them down on a flip chart or blackboard so all those in the room can see the contributions of the group and be energized by them.
Sometimes the flow becomes so frenzied that two facilitators are needed and the walls of the room become literally papered with thoughts.
The point is not to criticize another person’s contribution but to embellish or expand upon it. Accordingly, participants should be discouraged from passing judgement or criticizing others’ inputs.
The entire session should last between five and 15 minutes.
Since you are the boss and an authority figure, you should not act as the facilitator. Indeed, depending upon your relationship with those attending, it might be better if you weren’t even in the room for the brainstorm.
Once the exercise is over, a longer, more serious session should ensue to evaluate, qualify, and judge the workability of the ideas generated. It’s at this point that ideas can be prioritized or even discarded.
Your attendance and leadership will be extremely important at this session. Here is where raw ideas will be forged into new strategies and tactics for the firm. Remember, ideas must eventually be acted upon, if they are to pay off. According to my ol’ uncle Ollie, “Ideas won’t work unless you do.”
Q: How important is luck in business?
A: Very. Good fortune is especially important with respect to identifying opportunities, picking the time to act, securing capital, and finding the right people for your network.
It has been said that success is “the point at which luck and preparedness collide.” In other words, luck is beneficial, but only if you are prepared to exploit it.
I warn my entrepreneurship students that no matter how smart they are or how hard they work, they can’t be sure of success in a venture. They have to have some degree of luck also.
But if they don’t study and strive to prepare themselves, they probably won’t be able to see and take advantage of good fortune when it hits. “Chance favors the prepared mind,” observed Thomas Edison after he “accidentally” discovered the filament that would make possible the incandescent light bulb.
Sal Alfiero, founder of the hugely successful Mark IV Industries, once shared with me his definition of entrepreneurship, and luck played a prominent part.
“Entrepreneurship,” he said, “is the art of working as hard as you can until luck happens.”
xxxx Paul Willax is the Sandifur Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at Eastern Washington University.
The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Paul Willax The Spokesman-Review