In today’s economy, it is my contention that relationships and community are elevated in importance. You are not as effective alone as you are brainstorming with a trusted friend, advisor or team.

  1. Fail – this sounds outrageous; however, I have never seen a highly successful person that hasn’t failed. If you aren’t failing, you aren’t pushing the envelope enough. And, I find that it gives you an excuse to have a positive outlook when you do fail – give it a try.
  2. Feedback – part of brainstorming is opening up for feedback. As a friend said, it can be much easier to give than receive feedback; however, it has been one of my top 3 keys to success.
  3. Trust – it is bedrock to effective brainstorming. Develop and value trust, as it is essential to creating a valuable exchange of ideas.
  4. Throw out ideas – don’t worry about whether your ideas are “perfect”. Just throw out what comes to mind. It is likely you’ll have a gem or two in the mix. And it will spur the brainstorm.
  5. Be in the moment – it is difficult to have an effective brainstorming session is you are distracted. It sounds obvious, right? But I found myself doing it just this week – life is full of distractions. Practice focusing solely on the conversation.
  6. Diversity – encourage diversity of participants, ideas etc. It can give the brainstorming process a boost.