The Lost Art of Brainstorming

Happy (first)Thursday of September!  Here’s what you need to know in tech in under 2 minutes…

What tech leaders should be thinking about this week:  How bringing-back the lost art of brainstorming can have a massive impact on your team’s impact and effectiveness.  Now-a-days, tech leaders are expected to have answers to the toughest problems in a moment’s notice. With AI, the pressure is even greater for leaders to know solutions independently with speed, confidence, and effectiveness.  I think this is a huge missed-opportunity for the leader and their organization. Instead, why not quickly bring the team together for a good-old-fashioned brainstorm to come-up with the best, most creative solution(s) to the problem. I’ve incorporated the magic of a 15-minute brainstorm into my work and have seen clients light-up with new ideas, different perspectives and improved paths for impact.  My advice for you – Open-ended questions work best when facilitating a brainstorm (even if it’s on Slack/Teams). Here are my favorites:  What else might work? Where are our blind-spots? How will we win? Who can help?

Why this is important:  When tech leaders constantly shoulder the burden of always having the answers,  you limit creativity, slow-down long-term progress, and miss-out on the experiences(and brilliance) sitting right across from you (literally or figuratively).  Even in the age of AI, a quick, structured brainstorm shifts the pressure from one person to the collective, sparking fresh ideas that no single leader (or technology) could generate alone. I’ve noticed it also signals to your team that their perspectives matter – creating more buy-in, energy and engagement around the final decision.In today’s hyper-fast-paced, ever-changing tech world, this kind of creative problem solving is not only a nice-to-have … it’s a competitive advantage!

Where you’ll see impact:  In my experience, you’ll notice an instant shift in how your team approaches problems (and takes the pressure of you to solve everything 24/7). Brainstorms create more energy in the room (or the screen), more ownership of the outcome(s) and faster alignment around the best path forward. Over time, you’ll see your team (and probably specific individuals!) grow more confident in their ability to bring bold, creative ideas to the table. Pay attention to who’s doing this well, share the feedback, and showcase to the rest of the team/organization. This demonstrates that you’re laser-focused on keeping the bar high (and demonstrating devotion) when it comes to solving problems together.

Value Add – Additional ways to show-up as a leader:  You know that feeling when you see a movie (or Netflix) preview and you say to yourself “I can’t wait to see that?”  Well, that happened to me this morning when I saw that Mel Robbins was interviewing Cal Newport (my favorite business/wellness author) on her podcast this morning.  Control, productivity, and motivation are all themes throughout this 60-minute episode. I know you’ll appreciate all his best practices during your next commute or gratitude walk!  Check it out here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Know someone who could use some tech leadership advice each Thursday?  Forward them this email and/or sign them up directly on the new-and-improved Engaged Pursuit website.

Here’s to your Engaged Pursuit!