Is Your Team In A Creative Slump? Here Are 6 Ways To Encourage Brainstorming
By YEC
Innovation drives a business forward, so it’s important to know how to tap into it as well as harness the creativity of your team. To help you create an environment that’s conducive to brainstorming and new ideas, 6 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips below.
Business is all about problem-solving, and sometimes that takes a little creativity. What’s one tip you have for creating an environment that encourages brainstorming and creative ideas?
1. Promote experimentation
A wonderful way to create an environment that’s conducive to brainstorming and creative ideas is to promote experimentation and support failure. Let your team experiment with ideas. It’s a good way to encourage people to brainstorm, have open discussions, and create the right mindset for building a positive environment that promotes such activities. —Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite
2. Build a diverse team
Surround yourself with people from all walks of life. As individuals, we are experts in a fraction of a percentage of all disciplines life has to offer. Ask those credible in their fields, across all fields, for advice. Even if it’s not the best advice, you’ve gathered a pool of data that helps provide direction on where to go and where not to go. —Ryan Rose, JoneKiri
3. Switch up your environment
Get outside and get moving! Brainstorming doesn’t happen when you’re stuck behind a desk or in a cubicle. Encourage brainstorming and creative sessions in a different environment outside the four walls of an office. Use voice recorders to record the details so you’re not confined to pen and paper. Encourage play. —Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.
4. Encourage meditation
Have the team get quiet. A few minutes of meditation, focusing on their breathing, and quieting their minds allows creativity to flourish. Some of my best ideas follow meditation—some of my best insights are also after a vacation! Being creative and coming up with solutions to problems that seem insurmountable can be as simple as sitting still and listening. —Matthew Capala, Alphametic
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5. Foster a “Yes, and…” mindset
Leverage the improv concept of “Yes, and…” In improv, a “Yes, and…” approach allows comedians (or team members) to build upon one another’s ideas with no constraints. Creativity and problem-solving die with a “Yes, but…” or “No” response loop when you’re playing around with ideas and solutions. —Beck Bamberger, BAM
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6. Lead writing exercises
You can establish a more creative work environment by having your employees do writing exercises monthly or quarterly. Block out a time when everyone puts their ideas on paper and shares them with the group. This can help generate innovative ideas that will lead to more success and profits. —Jared Atchison, WPForms
About the Author
Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs.