Techniques to Encourage Diverse Ideas in Team Settings

I’ve been a huge fan of Tom Fishburne for years since we were classmates at Harvard Business School. Tom started drawing cartoons on the backs of HBS business cases, which evolve to become his famous and insightful Sky Deck cartoons.  I was always on the lookout for them. I invite my connections across all industries to subscribe to Tom’s insightful newsletter. Last week’s issue particularly resonated with me. Tom highlighted that labeling an idea as polarizing can quickly kill it, as businesses usually avoid such ideas in favor of safer, more universally appealing ones. However, there’s power in polarization. Trying to appeal to everyone often results in appealing to no one. In a cluttered world, the last thing a company can afford is to create indifference. Several years ago, I was helping the innovation group of a large carrier and saw firsthand the graveyard of idea killers. Many innovative ideas, often originating from those in the field who directly experience pain points, did not make it past the first round of evaluation. To help this carrier effectively evaluate innovative ideas and develop a repeatable process, we implemented a few key strategies: 1. Idea Champion Program: We assigned champions to promising ideas to advocate for them, gather feedback, and iterate on the concepts. 2. Cross-Functional Evaluation Committees: We created committees with members from various departments to ensure diverse perspectives in idea evaluation. 3. Fail Fast, Learn Faster: We encouraged a culture where failure is acceptable as long as we learn from it quickly. Prototyping and piloting ideas in controlled environments helped us make informed decisions. 4. Customer-Centric Approach: We focused on ideas that directly addressed customer/staff pain points, involving these stakeholders early in the development process. 5. Regular Review Cycles: We established regular review cycles for all submitted ideas to ensure they received proper attention. By implementing these strategies, we helped the carrier create an environment where innovative ideas could thrive. This process not only brought new solutions to the market but also fostered a culture of creativity and continuous improvement. Remember, the goal is not to avoid polarization but to harness it. Great ideas often provoke strong reactions, and that’s where their power lies. By creating a structured process to evaluate and nurture these ideas, we can ensure that they have the opportunity to make a significant impact. https://lnkd.in/eWfV_a-t

Legal is often viewed as the department of NO. I spoke to a GC recently who said, “I want to be viewed as someone who says YES.” But what does that look like? Because it’s not just a default “yes” - it’s more of a “yes, and let’s think about how.” And that starts with how you receive new ideas. In any team, the best ideas don’t always come fully formed. Sometimes they start off unconventional or rough around the edges, but with the right approach, those ideas can spark something great. In my experience, even the most offbeat suggestions deserve attention. By encouraging open sharing and giving constructive feedback, we create an environment where creativity thrives—and where people feel safe to contribute without fear of being shut down. Here’s how I try to approach this process: 👏🏼 Acknowledge the effort – Sharing ideas takes courage, so always show appreciation for the contribution. 🧐 Dig deeper – Ask questions to understand the thinking behind the idea and see if there’s potential to refine or build on. 💬 Provide constructive feedback – Look for the potential before pointing out challenges and offering suggestions for further exploration. 🔀 Explore alternatives – Is there a core concept that can develop in a different direction? 🙌🏼 If it’s a great idea, run with it. At Paragon, some of our best ideas started as casual suggestions that we pushed further, or things we initially didn’t think would work but found a way to build on. We want to create a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas, even when they don’t have all the answers yet.

I love a good brainstorming session, especially when working on social media content. But, if it's going to be productive, you've got to set ground rules. Here are my favorites: First off, I set these ground rules like I'm explaining the rules of freeze tag or some game. It's more about boundaries and respect, and less about control. Second, I like to open with a fun ice breaker that gets people thinking. When doing a brainstorm around ambassador programs, we did trivia to guess celebrity endorsements. Activate their curiosity. Ok, now to the rules: 1. One idea at a time. Instead of every one yelling out all the ideas at once, we start with one and move on from there. If folks have multiple ideas, get them to write them down so they don't forget. 2. Encourage wild ideas. Some of my best brainstorms have started with ideas that were not grounded in reality, that could never happen, that were totally out of budget... but they led to realistic ideas that could work and were more innovative. 3. Build on the ideas of others. Don't hold your own ideas precious, but take what others have given and let your imagination run with it. Brainstorming is a team effort, no one is getting individual credit. Work off what you've got. 4. Defer judgment. Especially if you're the 'boss,' it's tempting to shoot things down that won't work or haven't worked in the past. You probably think you're speeding up the process. Instead, let the brainstorm happen organically and flow. 5. Stay on topic. Side conversations often happen in brainstorms. An idea pops up, it relates to another conversation, and all of a sudden you're on a side quest. If you stray, take note of it so you can address it outside the brainstorm. What helps you and your team brainstorm?

Early in my career, I worked with two very different leaders within the same company. Under the first, team meetings were silent affairs where new ideas were often met with criticism. We stopped contributing. When I moved teams, my new manager actively encouraged input and acknowledged every suggestion, even the imperfect ones. Our productivity and innovation skyrocketed. This experience taught me the power of psychological safety. That feeling that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns. Here are three concrete ways leaders can foster psychological safety in meetings: 1. Practice "Yes, and..." thinking. Replace "That won't work because..." with "Yes, and we could address that challenge by..." This simple language shift acknowledges contributions while building on ideas rather than shutting them down. 2. Create equal airtime. Actively notice who's speaking and who isn't. Try techniques like round-robin input or asking quieter team members directly: "Alyzah, we haven't heard your perspective yet. What are your thoughts?" 3. Normalize vulnerability by modeling it. Share your own mistakes and what you learned. When leaders say "I was wrong" or "I don't know, let's figure it out together," it gives everyone permission to be imperfect. AA✨ #PsychologicalSafety #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceBelonging

The death of a great idea often happens within seconds of its birth. Someone shares a creative thought. Then the immediate response:  "We don't have budget for that" or "That would never work because..." I've watched brilliant possibilities disappear this way for years. Then we implemented one rule in our company that changed everything:  No decisions during idea generation. We completely separated ideation from evaluation.  Different meetings. Different mindsets. Different purposes. The results were stunning.  Teams that struggled to find solutions suddenly had too many to choose from. People who rarely spoke up became fountains of creativity when freed from immediate judgment. This isn't just about having more ideas. It's about creating psychological safety where people's weird (their unique genius) can emerge. The best solutions often start as "crazy" thoughts that would never survive immediate scrutiny. Give your team's imagination room to breathe before the practical considerations take center stage. What might emerge if you created a truly judgment-free zone for ideas? #CreativeLeadership #TeamInnovation #NewWorldOfWork #LoveYourWeird