We need brainstorming ideas in workplace

Brainstorming purpose is to let creativity grow in the workplace and office managers should encourage such activity as often as possible amongst the working level.. However, we must not to let criticism kill the creativity spirit. The creative process must be supported, nurtured and embraced by the seniors in the office to enable possible good working results to be surfaced. There are some guidelines to making sure the process of brainstorming within the group and that the team agrees to them before any idea generation begins.

As ideas begin to flow, we must do everything in our ability to let these ideas flow. No one should start to pre-judge the ideas thrown on the table. The idea-generation is about coming out with as many ideas, not ranking them and then later put in time to evaluate them. Even if the person next to you throws out the stupidest idea which you think could be, let the process continue. Any comment or criticism will change the mood in the group, and they will start to clam up. The objective is to bring ideas to the surface, not to discuss them.

Once an idea hits the whiteboard, we will start to wonder how the idea would come to life, what would it cost? Who to take lead to start the ball rolling? What would the end result of the idea going to look like? What would the financial implications be? Where would the work idea take place? As important as that kind of thinking may be, it will crush the creativity idea very quickly and we need to thread our footpath very carefully.

Thus, fear is the biggest killer of creativity. We learn in schooldays that there is always one right answer and we should avoid making errors at all cost and with chinese culture, it inbuild in us that mistake made will make us “lose our face”. We need to release that fear to unlock our true creative potential. If we're leading the group, emphasize this before we begin. Tell our staff that every idea matters and that the whole point is to get a lot of ideas on the table. To best create an environment where everyone feels comfortable taking risks and has no fear of embarrassment or negative consequences, we need to set an example. If we as leader aren't afraid to toss out silly, outrageous ideas, we will likely to encourage others to release their fears as well, so that their most creative thinking can emerge. We can always learn a lot from the past, but it can also limit our ability to invent the future. Holding back an idea because we tried it once before and it didn't work out so well is limiting factor.. Imagine the world we live in changes none stop every day. An idea today comes into a world with an entirely new set of situations, market environment, technologies and customer preferences. If it happened not to work in the past, it may just have been ahead of its time. Or perhaps that idea, when revisited, will lead to a revised version that can carry the day. Every idea could be a new one at this moment, so share every single one that we believe has got it’s credit and substance.

Brainstorming sessions can easily dissolve into wandering and woolgathering. We need to watch out and not let it happen. An idea might remind someone of a past incident or it might lead to taking on a different creative challenge, or discussing a completely different topic. A right-brain creative state is so rare and so refreshing that its energy and excitement can cause a team to stray. To solve this, keep some of those not so relevant ones on a “parking lot” list to be discussed another time. This will keep the group focused on the task at hand while still making sure that important concepts are remembered and can get attention later.

Just as we manage the storming situation, the collective energy of the room can build into a frenzy, unleashing brilliant ideas while everyone has a great time, or it can devolve into yet another boring clock-watching drone session. We need to keep the energy up and maybe with some intermittent High-fives, cheers and positive vibes in between session. Let’s not allow negativity and energy-draining commentary bore the life from the room. Comparing ideas is an insidious form of criticism that needs to be checked at the door with all other left-brain habits. Comparing usually contains an implicit criticism. Brainstorming can become quite jolly, and the temptation to start joking about what comes up can be hard to resist and laughter at the expense of an idea is a fast way to kill it.

Brainstorming is a profoundly useful creative technique to generate solutions, new thoughts, improve work methodology, save cost, increase productivity, but only if we all know how to use it properly and be disciplined in the process of carrying it out in groups.

Leading your staff more than just with your brain

The truth is that building strong and good work relationship amongst our office staff and within the organization can be tough and challenging for office leaders. Most of us naturally are inclined to lead with our heads, believing we are experience and intelligent, through organized planning, extensive review and as usual a steady temperament. That approach has generally suited everyone but not a perfect approach.

By leading with our heads is also the same trait that tempts us to head to the running trails for a solo workout instead of walking around to chat with office staff. Often we leave a room as soon as a meeting is over to get to the next assignment, instead of sticking around for a few extra minutes to connect with colleagues on a more personal level. Normally we do not do more “personnel contact”. In certain cases, that could be a good thing for a leader; it's important to maintain independence and a little distance. But, like any leadership strength, self-reliance and playing things close to the vest can be overdone.

In hard times, as some of us are facing now, leading with our heads is not enough. Our staff need more than sheer business expertise, whether it be a smart strategy, the right organizational structure, or clever technical solutions. It is also hard for leaders to build trust with their people—and without that trust it's hard to accomplish much. In many organizations, most of the colleagues are working more hours for less pay and benefits.

Then there are some practical steps to leading more than just with your head. The more we practice them, the better you'll become at connecting with your staff and colleagues.

• Listen to individual

Now more than ever, we need to be a CLO, Chief Listening Officer in your organization. Make sure you devote several meetings each week simply to listening to colleagues, customers and your peers. When you're in these meetings, maintain eye contact, lean forward, nod. Show you're engaged.

Just as significantly, pay attention to what the other person is expressing, not only with their words but also through their tone of voice, facial expressions, and posture. Can you accurately summarize the thoughts and feelings being shared with you? If not clear, suggest ask for clarifications. Do not practice “mind reading” as we know there is no such skill and able to accurately read others mind of what they are thinking. Also do not ever try to be a psychologist and guess what others have in their mind.

• Be known in the office

It's often the practice to eat a quick lunch at your desk so that there is a chance to make phone calls, check through reports and read or clear some e-mails. Make a point once a week of sitting down at a table and joining your staff and get engage in conversation over lunch.

• Show gratitude

A word of “thank you” to an overworked, underappreciated employee can make a huge difference. It's even more important when a bad economy last year restrain or prevent the company to reward staff financially. Be specific, and they'll know you understand something about their role—and that makes your praise all the more and meaningful.

• Invest in staff development

Ensure that your teams are engaged in meaningful work and that you have good development plans for the staff members. If things are slow for one team, turn its members loose on key projects that are important for the future of the organization and that will help build their skills. Nothing is more important than showing interest in the professional development of your staff —so the company should try to invest more often in the training of staff they need.

I do not believe there is a guarantee that following this advice will suddenly help you lead as authentically. But at the very least, we can all get considerably better at connecting with our office colleagues through focus and practice. We need to make leading of our staff with our hearts as one of the many staff management priorities. When we don't, we jeopardize all the magnificent plans in our mind and worst of all, the company or organization will not be progressing fast and better than it’s competitors over the present competitive global arena.