Brainstorming Doesn’t Work
Effective leaders give their staff praise and appreciation. Yes, this is important and motivating. But I do think that sometimes leadership veers too far into accentuating the positive. Sadly, this is at the expense of avoiding the elephant in the room, which is the real problem.
Here’s another leadership principle…
Ultimately, the job of effective leaders is to solve problems
We shy away from problems because they are a pain to deal with. But not addressing problems also means not making real progress.
To make real progress, to lift that triple bottom line, to turn the tanker around, requires not simply focusing on the stuff that’s already going well. It also requires taking action to effectively solve problems.
Let’s get down and dirty
What’s your problem, eh? Flat sales or donations? Talented staff that are leaving? Customer complaints, human services programs not providing enough services to humans, or interpersonal issues?
What’s your first instinct to solve the problem?
If you say “We’ll brainstorm!”, I’ll tell you right now: that’s a mistake. And it’s one that many managers make.
Brainstorming Doesn’t Work
Here’s why brainstorming alone won’t work. You can brainstorm until the cows come home but if none of the outcomes solves the real problem, then you will have wasted that effort. If instead you brainstorm around the real friggin’ problem, then you’ve made the foundation for your organization’s growth even more solid. And yes, sometimes it’s a right pain to find the real problem!
Bottom line data, staff attrition, customer dissatisfaction prove that you have a problem, but they’re not the cause of the problem. That’s why you need to get creative about finding the root cause: the real problem.
The problem is, identifying a problem, that is pinpointing the cause rather than the symptom, is not always straightforward. There are several effective techniques for accurately identifying the problem, which I cover in my coaching and courses. By far the most important is letting go of ego and “the way we’ve always done it”. For example, do you have buy-in from your team to look at the problem differently than you have been?
Find solutions faster
Once identified, sometimes it can take years to solve a problem: ask any theoretical physicist. I want to help people find solutions faster, which is why I produce tools and methods for leaders at all levels to help their team get creative.
Being driven to help people solve problems faster is why I created the Light Bulb Thinking™ framework (LBT). LBT moves teams from “boring” to “brilliant!!” outcomes in four simple steps. The first phase – Planning – is where you take a good hard look at the problem. Once you’ve identified the real problem, it’s just a matter of following the rest of the steps. You can learn more about Light Bulb Thinking™ here.
Being driven to help leaders successfully guide their teams in creative problem-solving is why I developed the forthcoming Light Bulb Moments™ self-paced podcast-style learning program. Light Bulb Moments takes managers through the Light Bulb Thinking™ framework. AND there’s a deep dive into the leadership and team characteristics that build a culture of creative problem-solving and innovation. Contact me at Ellia@ThePotentialCenter.com if you’d like to learn more about Light Bulb Moments™ or to be a beta tester.
“This seminar gave me creative and practical approaches that I can use to address problems and improve my performance. You are an excellent speaker – knowledgeable, interesting and helpful. Highly recommended!”