Steve Jobs once likened his business model to the creative inspiration of The Beatles. In an interview with 60 Minutes in 2010, he said:
“They were four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.”
However Mr. Jobs’ legacy unfolds, most agree it will be manifold: his stubborn insistence on the significance of design, his fusion of art with technology, his Eastern influence, his philosophy. But aside from his bright personality, Jobs’ musings on the The Beatles point to another, less apparent ideology: the power of groups in promoting ingenuity.
While few entrepreneurs can expect to harness the creative breadth of a company like Apple or Mr. Jobs’ other major project, Pixar, there is plenty influence to cull from the late maestro of technology, design, business and art.
Brainstorming sessions are a cornerstone of any creative enterprise. While having a few innovative leaders can help – a la Mr. Jobs – managers should focus on leveraging the collective power of their group to develop ideas. In this sense, there is nothing more important than stressing the free flow of ideas to promote an environment that encourages any idea, not matter how zany. Sometimes, the best ideas stem from a fluke thought or random input.
“As ideas begin to flow, you must do everything in your power to let them flow,” writes Josh Linkner for Inc. magazine. “No one should be allowed to offer any judgment of any idea. The idea-generation phase is about generating ideas, not ranking them. Just let them run like the mighty Amazon. There will be plenty of time to evaluate them later.
“Even if the person next to you throws out the stupidest idea you’ve ever heard,” Linkner adds, “let the process continue.”
It may seem less obvious, but you also want to avoid comparing ideas. By contrasting one against the other, you’re subtly comparing one contributor to another – a process that will likely discourage future contribution and even alienate some workers.
When ideas are flowing and the energy is palpable, it’s easy to pick and choose certain ideas or projects and then get wrapped up in the logistics or the practicality. While such concerns are clearly needed for bringing any idea to fruition, they are of no relevance during the brainstorming stage. At this point, you need to focus on building an uninhibited, unmitigated wellspring of ideas. For that matter, it’s also important to stay focused on the present and restrict too much consideration about either the past of the future.
“Holding back an idea because you tried it once before and it didn’t work out so well is highly limiting,” Linkner adds. “Think how much the world changes every day. An idea today comes into a world with an entirely new set of circumstances, market conditions, technologies and customer tastes.”
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