The Meeting that Changed Everything

A while back I gathered a few members of my team – i.e., people I hired because they are way smarter than me – and conducted a “blank page” session where we imagined that we were building a pharma rep onboarding program from scratch. We imagined that there were no legacy programs from past teams, no leader-imposed time limits, and no existing team structure to work around. We started from a truly blank slate to create a vision of what onboarding could be.

It was one of the best 90 minutes of my career.

Not just because of the output – which was innovative and exciting. It was because it unleashed everyone’s strengths and creativity, creating a fantastic energy. We scrawled ideas on a whiteboard, we built on each other’s thoughts, we shared things we’d read about or experienced at other companies. With these particularly brilliant colleagues, my brain became a spigot. The thoughts spewed out one after another. My adrenaline spiked. I had a renewed appreciation for these amazing colleagues. And not once did I look at my watch – which, of course, led to me being late for my next meeting.

Worth it.

Now, did we operationalize what we created? No. Those constraints we pretended didn’t exist? Well, they actually did. ?But we DID identify elements from our brainstorming sessions that we could implement to evolve our current onboarding. And for me, it both re-invigorated my love for learning and strengthened my bond with my team. The buzz lasted for months.

I’ve run countless brainstorming and strategy sessions - for leadership teams looking to develop annual strategies or re-configure a department, for project teams looking to get a strong jumpstart, for teams looking to solve an issue or evolve an idea.

Every time, someone says, “We should do this more often!”

Yes. You should.

When you give people free rein to think critically and innovatively, it invigorates them. When they build something together, they develop a comradery they would not have otherwise. And when they’ve had input into a solution or project, they feel an ownership that motivates them to see it through. Giving your team an opportunity to convene in such a way on a regular basis can do more for your culture than any ropes course or escape room ever could.

Rules of Engagement

There is no one “best” way to run a brainstorming session – but there are some universal rules:

• Abolish the hierarchy: ?I don’t mean stage a coup and overthrow leadership. I do mean encourage the higher-ups in the room to create space for everyone – including newbies and junior employees – to contribute, and tone down any natural tendencies to take over a discussion. Duct tape is useful here. (I’m kidding, of course.) (Masking tape also works.)
• Let it flow: Nothing halts the momentum of a brainstorming session more than someone immediately shooting down an idea as unrealistic or something that’s been tried before and failed. I’ve seen team leaders do this – it sucks the air out of the discussion and makes people hesitant to throw out ideas. Make it a rule and hold everyone accountable for enforcing it. (I have always wanted to hand out NFL penalty flags at meetings. Throw a flag for flagrant brainstorming misconduct and move the offender back 15 yards from the table.)
• Give it Time: Don’t carve out 20 minutes at the end of a team meeting for brainstorming. Dedicate the time – and be generous with it. I always shoot for 90 minutes to allow people to warm up a bit, and to give them an opportunity to build on each other’s ideas. (And, as training professionals know better than anybody, 90 minutes is about all the time adults can handle before fleeing, citing imaginary doctor’s appointments or responding to pre-arranged emergency texts. I’ve done it. I’m not proud of it.)
• Leave with Action Items: Nothing says “waste of time” more than a brainstorming session with no tangible next steps. Spell out the action items and know who is accountable for what and by when.
• Follow up: Don’t allow those valuable ideas to disappear into the ether. Give regular updates on the status of the action items, and keep the team engaged in the process of seeing things through. Doing so ensures your team members know you value their input and appreciate the time they gave to the brainstorming session.

Tips from a Brainstorming Veteran

• Give the team a chance to pre-think. Allot a few minutes at the beginning of the session to jot down any thoughts or ideas that they can then share for the team to consider and build upon. (This is known as brainwriting – learn more about it here.) This process helps to grease the mental skids a bit and get people thinking about the topic.
• Choose a structure.? This is important. You can’t just shut people into a conference room and ask them to throw out ideas willy nilly. By far, the most effective format I have ever employed is the 6 Step Process (if you’re unfamiliar with this, read more about it here). It provides a natural progression from setting a compelling vision to building a targeted strategy to developing action plans. I leaned on this process so much that members of my department started using “6 Step” as a verb (when someone had a problem or was stuck, someone would pipe up with “Let’s 6 Step” it!). (In full transparency, I am such a believer in this process that I got certified to teach it. I even use it for personal projects. I am a 6 Step nerd.)
• Whack Them. Not literally. Don’t choose violence. But use a tool such as the Creative Whack Pack to generate thoughts that may not emerge otherwise. I sometimes assign a Whack Pack card to the group, or, if there are enough people, divide them up and give each team a different card to work through. You can get some wild ideas – but one of them might just be the spark you’re looking for to move forward.
• Make it fun. Amazing how adults loosen up when you introduce scented markers, colorful Post-It notes, stickers, and a big tub of Twizzlers. (Some teams are cheap dates indeed.) Let the ideas and conversation flow in a relaxed and engaging session. Give your team a chance to enjoy each other’s company in a stress-free setting.
• Wrap it up right. Leave enough time to group the ideas into categories or combine ideas as your team sees fit. Then have the team members vote on which they find most compelling or think will have the biggest impact. Pursue the top 2 or 3, assigning a team member as a leader and having the rest of the team volunteer for a workstream. Set a deadline for a follow-up.

Every idea, no matter how small, has the potential to spark something extraordinary. Every person, whether they are a newbie, a junior employee, or a crusty old veteran has a wealth of different experiences and knowledge to mine. And these sessions could be the jolt you or someone else on your team needs to remind you why you do what you do every day.