As you lead a team through the brainstorming process, it’s imperative that everyone stops trying to brainstorm only the one best idea. This is because there is no “best” idea. We like to say that for any given problem or opportunity, there may of course be truly wrong ideas, but there are also thousands of right ideas. All we need to do is to find some of them, then pick one. This idea makes the whole process less daunting, and brings us to the quote above. 

It’s fantastic to have a high quality standard for ideas, but it’s also valuable to be able to temporarily turn these psychological limits off in the context of exploratory ideation. Being picky or close-minded can doom your ideation process before it even starts. So, as you lead brainstorming, remember that a sense of freedom and a can-do attitude are absolutely essential to the process. 

To learn more about conducting effective ideation, check out the new book Winning Digital Customers by Howard Tiersky. The book presents a proven, 5-step methodology for leading an organization through digital transformation, outlining not only how to ideate but how to translate your ideation process into breakthrough products and services. Go to WinningDigitalCustomers.com to buy the book today!