Brainstorming Busts
Today’s post will help you get the most out of your brainstorming sessions.
Brainstorming can go completely wrong. It’s meant to bring out the best ideas from a team and explore a wide range of possibilities. Done well, it builds the team while exploring lots of approaches. On the other hand…
You’re in the office, meeting the team for the company’s next big project. Most of them are offsite, dialed into a conference bridge. You only know a few people. This project is make-or-break for your division. Nervous chatter fills the room as people introduce themselves and find their chairs. Your last project didn’t go well, so you’re feeling jittery.
The morning sun is blinding the people across from you, so you stand up and pull the blinds to murmurs of appreciation. It feels like that might be the most appreciation you’ll get all day.
Your mission today is to get this team up to speed on a project that could be overdue before the budget is even approved. You’ve received vague directions from the executive who ‘owns’ this project—a guy known for his ‘hands-off’ approach.
In other words:
You don’t know exactly what you’re supposed to deliver—just a vague idea of the direction, but nothing final about the end state.
You have a rough budget estimate but can’t spend anything without executive approval.
You’re leading a new team you’ve never met.
All the team members report to different departments and managers, and, for the duration of this project, also to you. Each of them has other responsibilities aside from this project.
The deadline is approaching fast.
Welcome to project management.
The deep end.
I started a project like that early in my career. I thought, ‘This kickoff meeting needs an icebreaker to get people acquainted. After a quick introduction, we'll dive into a brainstorming session.’
Rule #1: You must establish psychological safety first.
Without realizing it, I went directly against the most important rule for brainstorming.
The team members came from a cross-section of departments across the company. A few were assigned full-time to the project, but most had tasks scattered across different areas. Some departments were rivals, used to working in silos without worrying about cross-functional collaboration. Since we were at headquarters, the people in the room were high-ranking managers or executives, while those who dialed in were technicians, engineers, and local representatives from our scattered offices.
“Now that I've outlined the situation, let’s see if this group can brainstorm ideas about how to proceed,” I thought optimistically.
Crickets…
“Alright, team, we’ve got a lot of talent here. Surely someone has some ideas. Nothing is too far-fetched or silly.”
Bigger crickets…
By this point, I was worried my nervousness was starting to show, so I tried to steer the conversation. “Maybe we can start by suggesting ways to break the project into manageable chunks?” I offered.
A voice from the phone asked, “Isn’t that what the project plan is for?” From that point on, the meeting became an awkward exercise in prying information from people who didn’t want to share.
This meeting was a “learning opportunity” for me. My mistake? I had set up the kickoff meeting in a way that actively discouraged sharing.
Several things I did wrong:
While "the boss" was in the room, most people waited to hear their opinions. I had several executives in the mix.
The entire team had about 30 people—far too many strangers to feel comfortable throwing out goofy ideas.
The team had a history together, but it was a competitive one.
I didn’t have a well-defined problem to solve, just a general question.
I was asking people to speak out in a group setting without any assurance that it was safe to bring up the things we needed to discuss.
I hadn’t thought about how much credence to give each speaker.
The next day, my boss pulled me aside to give me some “feedback” about the brainstorming session. I braced for the worst…
He said, "Aside from the brainstorming session at the start of the kickoff, I heard things went well."
I braced myself for the typical management "compliment sandwich"—start with something nice, then keelhaul you, and finish with "keep up the good work."
Instead, I got: "I understand the brainstorming didn't go well. What would you change next time?" He followed it with an expectant look—no recriminations, no scowling, just a straightforward question.
I had been stewing over it, focusing on the lack of participation from the team. I hadn’t considered what I could do to change the results.
Then he surprised me. "Don't try to answer that right away," he said. "Think about it and let me know what you come up with on Monday." With that, he let me get back to work.
Monday’s assignment looked like this:
Don’t use brainstorming as an ice-breaker. People won’t open up to others they don’t know.
Keep the bosses out of the room if you want everyone to speak candidly.
Exclude the workers if you need to discuss strategic planning with the executives.
Keep the group small—it’s easier to talk in front of a few people.
Have a well-defined problem to solve or start by defining the problem.
When I met with him on Monday, he reviewed my responses and added these thoughts:
Instead of having everyone speak their answers aloud, give them 3 to 5 minutes to write as many responses as possible. Then, collect and share them anonymously on a whiteboard. This way, each idea gets a hearing without anyone feeling exposed.
Ensure the right mix of people in the session. It’s unproductive to have executives weigh in on deeply technical problems or involve someone with no "skin in the game."
When consulting experts, don’t start by asking them to solve the problem. Ask them how they think about it. Gather input from two or more experts and have them combine their methods. Use that as a framework for solving the problem.
He then sent me back into the fray. No drama.
I had just gotten a great lesson in coaching. Give honest feedback, challenge people to think about it, and then let them learn and grow.
Since then, my brainstorming sessions have improved. I’ve even added these gems:
Start any brainstorming session with a "safety" introduction.
Tell people the purpose of the meeting is to stir up ideas, not to evaluate them.
Encourage them to produce the goofiest ideas possible, with extra points for making the team laugh.
Treat it like an improv exercise, where any starting point should be followed by "Yes, AND."
When you evaluate the ideas produced, do it in a separate session.
People need to feel safe expressing their ideas. When they feel safe and valued, they will share.
For me, the lesson was in two parts. My boss demonstrated how to give constructive feedback respectfully, treating me like a peer and offering tips rather than the brow-beating I expected. He also made me examine how I could change my approach to get better results. By making me responsible for my improvement, he gave me agency and let me choose how to "own" my career.
Both of those lessons have served me well.
That's My Perspective