Strategy Session Starts With Bad Ideas?
In the strategy session you recognize your job is to bring forward new good ideas. It’s emphasized that no idea is a bad idea. The rules state that you should leave your ego and judgement at the door. Does this work?
Creating a new strategy or deciding on the next big move has many potential roadblocks and hurdles. Mostly because many of the frequent contributors have already decided. They have a fixed opinion on the path.
Perhaps the rules should be different?
Roadblocks and Hurdles
If ego, self-deception, and judgement are problematic maybe the group shouldn’t be charged first with coming up with new good ideas. Instead maybe they should start a list of bad ideas.
Get all the stuff that won’t work on the flip chart. Everything that has been tried before but failed. Everything that you know won’t work. Go to the trenches, dig deep, get it all on the chart.
Is this negativity? Certainly, it could be, but bad ideas don’t necessarily mean negativity.
Strategy Session
What if you do what you’ve always done? Just go through the normal routine. The leaders give the rules, the leaders break the rules. New ideas aren’t generated and persuasion for a personal agenda is evident.
The session concludes with nods of agreement and everyone goes back to work. Except, the next day at the water cooler everyone is talking about all the really bad ideas you’re going to pursue next.
Perhaps the best way to get ego out of the way and get to a list of truly new good ideas is to start with a list of bad ideas first.
Crazy? Maybe. If you think it’s crazy let’s just go back to checking egos at the door.
One path is a waste of time, the other, constructive.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
