Five Crucial Rules To Brainstorming

Brainstorming is considered one of the tools of prototyping and innovation however it needs to be done carefully. Earlier in the semester, I posted a blog about  key elements that Tom Kelley found to be part of a perfect brainstorm such as sharpening the focus to remember what you’re trying to achieve, write things down because you are mentally able to return to that thought once you see it again and create playful rules. (Check out http://leadershipssuccess.blogspot.com/2012/10/six-elements-of-perfect-brainstorm.html)  On that note, there are five rules of brainstorming that were discussed in the recent lecture that I will breakdown.

http://programsuccess.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/effective-brainstorming-with-the-project-team/

First, you need to “defer judgment” and set aside a time for constructive criticism later in the game. During a brainstorming session it is important to acknowledge everyone’s ideas and respectful to keep the ideas flowing. By putting down an idea, it can kill the motivation buzz and limit the amount of ideas you receive. 

Second, know how to “build upon the idea of others” and learn not to hold on to personal ownership. When a team member suggests a new idea or solution, it can trigger other ideas you had in mind that you may not have been able to convey. In a recent facilitator course I took, we had to right down at least 10 (I think) uses for a paperclip in a span of 8 minutes or so. It felt like time flew by. Then the instructor said to share your inputs with the person next to you and come up with an additional 5 in two minutes. Surprisingly enough, we came up with more than double that because each use gave us another idea for what the paperclip can be used for.

The third rule of brainstorming is to keep one conversation going at a time. As the concept of “build and jump” where you gradually move from one concept to another is helpful to expanding the session, ensure that everyone is aligned to where the conversation is going and keeping one. It can be distracting and momentum can be lost as you break up in smaller groups. 

With that, the fourth rule is to stay focused on the topic. By getting off course, you can find yourself analyzing too much on other ideas that may be non-value added to your overall solution. 

Finally, the fifth rule that connects with the first is to encourage wild ideas. It’s amazing when you remove all barriers (especially cost) when trying  to come up with solution. The intent is find the solution and later we can bring it back to reality with what we have practically to design a new service or product. 

For example, on the manufacturing floor, my area leader keeps suggesting that all area leaders get roller blades to be able to respond more quickly to issues and be everywhere at once. As roller blades are not cleanroom safe and not a practical solution, I asked her to tell me why she was suggesting that and how can bring that idea to a more practical resolution. She then came up with a way for her team to keep tabs on her and ensured there were multiple copies of the contact numbers, out of control procedures and escalation flow handy at each process. Although she was still responding to the problem at the same walking rate, the communication to and from her, was done more effectively.

Adding A Fun Twist To Your Goal

In Tom Kelley’s Art of Innovation, he discusses on how important it is for companies to go from “zero to sixty” in order to break free from the competition and stay on top. Every year, Silicon Valley venture capitalists put on a race for designing the next best innovation and the proceeds for the cause go to a charity which funds safe rides after a night out with drinking involved. After reading the chapter, my recommendation coincides with his – put a fun twist to your goal.

Quality is everything. As a technical manufacturing supervisor for Medtronic, you cannot skimp out on Quality no matter how dire the situation is with meeting commitments. However, meeting your customer commitments on-time is a requirement that falls just under Quality. As a leader ensuring compliance is met day-in and day out, I’ve learned that you need to be creative to achieve the goal on-time. For example, I’ve challenged the team members to recruit as many people as possible or to maximize the capacity for certain equipment in order to meet a goal by a certain time. This drives them to come up with new ways of letting the product flow through the line without missing a step and impacting Quality. From what I read in Tom Kelley’s book, competition can turn up the speed on some innovative ideas. 

By making something interesting, it can be a driving factor to getting things done. Sometimes you need to change things up in order to be innovative within a given time. Personally, with multiple assignments due for both of my classes on top of work, I have learned to challenge myself and have incentives waiting on the opposite end. If I complete an assignment at least three days in advance, I will be able to spend an extra hour or two doing something where I don’t need to worry about studying such as spending extra time at the gym or tweeting. Try to turn everything you do into a game, without forgetting the goal in mind and the consequences of not achieving certain tasks. It’ll be more fun, drive competition and may be that extra nudge you’ve been needing all along.  

Pick The Right State of Mind

Day in and day out, we make decisions on what to communicate and what to not. In some cases we don’t know the consequences of words until it’s too late. Recently, I was introduced to the concepts of the Wise Mind, Emotional Mind and Reasonable Mind. It's not the answer to everything but it helped me understand the logic behind my after-thought process for certain situations.

By recognizing which state of mind you are in, (either during or after) it can help you make better decisions or actively listen to your environment rather than jumping into a danger zone.

"Sometimes though, what we think is the right decision turns out to be the right one because it makes us realize we were wrong; which in turn causes us to change our minds, making the right decision the wrong decision, and the wrong decision the right one" ~JDQ

I've been contemplating a lot about my next move. It's easier to move the pawns because it's simple and can get the job done. But at some point, you have to kick up your offense or else there won't be enough pawns left to protect the King and Queen. 

This blog is a short one but ultimately I realized that sometimes the decision you need to make was there all along but the fuzziness and the noise (http://leadershipssuccess.blogspot.com/2012/07/it-just-noise.html) inhibits you from making it at that moment. 

So go with your original gut feeling. From reading Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, he discusses that most decisions and realizations happen within a blink of an eye. So why over analyze? Whether at work, at home or at the gym, try to stay within the Wise Mind and don't let emotions take over. Use them as weapons or shields, but not as anchors. 

Cross Pollinating: How And Why

The In the Art of Innovation, Tom Kelley discusses how a company can increase cross-pollination in the workplace. The following is a summary of these seven tips:

1.     Subscribe & Surf: have magazine subscriptions either in person or online; By going through other ideas, you can learn and it opens your mind for further innovation ideas.

2.     Play director: Cut your world or environment into different sections and watch it from a different lens. With another perspective it heightens your senses to actions and ideas that you don’t normally pick up on.

3.     Hold an Open House: Showcase what you do; Display a few prototyping ideas and get people networking and talking in a room about what the company does

4.     Inspire advocates: bring in others with different views as the constructive criticism an help resolve barriers or flourish ideas to an entirely different level.

5.     Hire outsiders: outside influence can introduce new ideas and invigorate the company

6.     Change hats: aka Role Playing; Step into someone else’s shoes to understand what they go through or how they will experience a new product or service

7.     Cross train: ensure that each team member can do a set of activities; this creates flexibility and also helps drive an open mind to different processes or activities.

By not cross pollinating in any one of the elements above, it can set up a company and or product for failure. There are three examples that Kelley points as to why cross pollination is critical for survival.

First is DuPont’s Kevlar which was originally set up for new material for radial tires to replace steel. It wasn't until the military and other security forces used the light-weight material to protect against bullets, that it was picked up for use on tires. Second example is Zelco’s “itty bitty book light.” The demand for the product didn’t pick up until a rap artist was seen on MTV wearing it around his neck. The company took a new approach for marketing and what the product could be used for. Third and final example is that of Hush Puppies who was struggling to make sales in the 1950s. It wasn’t until the company that actual manufacturers the shoes, Wolverine Worldwide, stepped in to support a new branding effort for the products. The sales have increased and been stable ever since and Hush Puppies is a trust name for casual and comfortable shoes. 

Implanting the Right Impression

I used to think first impressions were everything. I would meet someone and give them a week, a day or even an hour to create a name for themselves. Then I realized that people grow, and second chances can be new beginnings.

As a leader, I'm driven to evaluate individuals day in and day out. I have become pretty decent at figuring out what kind of contribution he or she will make, in a matter minutes. But then, things change. Their environment changes and their world comes crashing down on them.

When that happens, we as their supervisor have two choices of words when approaching him or her:

1) perform better or get out
2) something's distracting you, what can we do to make this right.

I've learned in a short period of time that the latter can make or break someone's career.

When you stop and recognize that your team are a set of humans, you realize that there are more important things happening at that given moment than the goal they were working on.
Okay- you're rolling your eyes. As a leader within a medical device industry I learned you can't stop if someone isn't feeling well, or else our pacemakers won't get out the door. But when we recognize the human element, the goal shifts into someone else's hands and it's okay.

It doesn't make you weaker or less of a leader to identify the human in your team. However, you need to recognize when enough is enough. How long do you use the human element? Well, for starters, there will be a point you recognize this individual isn't improving and other performance measures need to be taken.

Ultimately, when we tap into our human element and listen to what's not being said, you are able to more effectively performance manage your team.

First impressions can easily cause us to write someone off without truly looking at the bigger picture. Next time you go manage someone's newly negative performance, stop and ask: what changed? Second chances are warranted. So rather than creating and referring to that first impression, find the right impression this individual is trying to make.