As powerful as a network of brains

I always think of myself as someone #intelligent. But no matter how much intelligent I think I am; my #knowledge and sharpness will be best described as “minuscule” compared to all the cleverness in the world. The same is true for you. You may be quick-witty but compared to the combined brilliance of all of us, your genius is only a very small fraction.

That should get us #thinking. Why would one person generate an idea and believe that their idea is the better than that of a team of other intelligent people? I have a secret to reveal. Anytime I am thinking of something significant at work, I just gather my team together to engage in the thinking process. The result is a collection of thoughts from great minds, which we then use to develop the best #idea.

Meanwhile, there is a way to do it right. Many people in positions of authority assume that they have better ideas, supposing that they are in the position because they are better than the rest. Many people, especially those in management, claim that they are gathering ideas from their team. They show up, say something like “we are planning to build a new office space 30 feet by 50 feet, with custom white cabinets for the cubicles, one kitchenette, red carpets, blue window blinds and equipped with apple computers,” and then ask, “what do you think?” Every time someone does that, they kill the genius in their team.

If you already know what you want your team to do, just tell them and don’t waste anyone’s time thinking. However, if you really want to generate great ideas, trust your team, and engage them in the #creative thinking process. Then use what the network of brains produces without assuming that your idea is superior.?

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