Tag Archives: brainstorming

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workplace solutions

Workplace Solutions Are Better Than Problems

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What are you bringing to the meeting? Are you bringing workplace solutions or are you bringing more problems?

There are many purposes for meetings.

Some meetings are informational, some are for brainstorming, and there are some that are specifically for planning. Other types of meetings include meetings for making decisions, following up on previous decisions, or even team-building types of meetings.

Do you come to the meeting prepared to drag in some additional problems or do you come with the intent to suggest solutions? Many might quickly suggest that their intent is to do both.

There may be some risk, though.

Is everyone willing to show their hand?

Workplace Solutions

In a game of cards it is often expected that eventually you’ll show your hand. Timing seems to matter, and so does the idea that what others don’t know gives you more power.

Showing your hand in the workplace may mean you have to risk something. You might risk that your idea will be stolen, that the boss will take credit, or that future outcomes will favor a different team.

It may be the fear of success that halts forward motion. Giving others the power of your idea feels unsafe.

Do you still show it?

Many people are quick to bring forward a problem for discussion. Perhaps it is a good idea to put the same effort into providing possible solutions.

Showing your hand is more than just the right thing to do.

Solutions are more powerful than problems.

Bring some to share.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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idea celebration

Idea Celebration Is Better Than Squashing

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Idea celebration is one way to elevate the good stuff to the priority list. What are you or your team doing with new ideas?

At the start of the brainstorming meeting, someone suggests that no idea is a bad idea. When the chips are down and the next path is hard to locate, you search. If the competition rises up and puts a stake in some new ground you wonder why you didn’t think of it first.

What happens in your team with new ideas?

Idea Celebration

It seems like finding the reasons why it won’t work is the mission objective for some. Every idea is quickly met with the discussion of catastrophes from the past and a clever pitch about the connections to this new suggestion.

Problems are often managed in a similar fashion. For some, it feels more exciting to drown over the impacts of failure rather than spend energy on the possibility of a viable solution.

Solutions are not always perfect. New ideas are not without risk.

What if at the start of the brainstorming meeting there is a focus on celebrating every new idea?

The idea doesn’t always be put to the test at the first whimper of its mention. Perhaps let it simmer for a while, allow it to occupy some space, and consider why it will work instead of why it won’t.

New ideas often gain traction, or they don’t, based on belief.

The group dynamics of belief are powerful. They often grow over time. Some will grow in the spirit of support. Some will grow in the spirit of being against.

Fence-sitters often wait to jump in. They often weigh the risk as being greater for likability than the merit of the idea itself.

Maybe it is time to stop looking for why not and start supporting something different.

It may be an idea worth celebrating.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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Brainstorming session

Brainstorming Session and You Have a Seat at the Table

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Many engage in their job role hoping to get a seat at the table. They often wish for the chance to participate, to tell their story, and offer their idea. Have you been invited to the brainstorming session?

Seat at the Table

We know how to act when we’ve been invited to the birthday party, a holiday meal, or even when we are out for dinner with a few friends. We grab a seat at the table and we prepare to eat.

Many people take this opportunity to eat as much as they can. It is a feast. People dive deep and sometimes eat more than what they probably should, but it is not just another meal it is an event!

Chances are good that they have considered many items on the menu. Perhaps, they have even tried a few items that they were unsure about, perhaps something completely new or different.

When you grab that seat, you have an idea what is about to unfold, lots of eating. If you aren’t prepared to eat there really isn’t much reason to have a seat at the table. In fact, you probably shouldn’t take a seat at all.

A similar scenario exists in the brainstorming or problem solving session. If you are not going to dive in deep, if you refuse to consider things you haven’t tried before, or if you believe you are already completely full, don’t take a seat.

Big Problems

Most problems an organization faces that require a brainstorming session are big. If they were small and simple they would have already been solved.

The thought is that big problems require big solutions. Ironically, many of the problems that most mainstream businesses face today are not as big as they appear.

Brainstorming Session

How to ship on time, how to reduce the friction of the customer journey, or the risk associated with forecasting the ROI of the marketing campaign. All of these things are often only limited because someone is in the way. They are occupying space. They have a seat but they aren’t eating.

Many organizations get stuck, stalled, or stopped by someone sitting at the table who believes a roadblock or the status quo is better than the open road.

If you are invited, grab a seat, but only if you intend fully participate.

– 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.

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