3. Have an Agenda When You Meet
I enjoy spending
time with certain people, whether we discuss ideas or not:
my wife, Margaret; my children;
my grandchildren; my parents. Though we
often do discuss ideas, it doesn’t bother me if we don’t; we are family. When I
spend time with nearly anyone else in my life, however, I have an agenda. I
know what I want to accomplish.
The more I respect the wisdom of the person, the more I listen. For example,
when I meet with someone I’m mentoring, I let the person ask the questions, but
I expect to do most of the talking. When I meet with someone who mentors me, I
mostly keep my mouth shut.
In other relationships, the give and take is more
even. But no matter with whom I meet, I have a reason for getting together and I
have an expectation for what I’ll give to it and get from it. That’s true whether
it’s for business or pleasure.
4. Get the Right People Around the Table
To get anything of value out of shared thinking,
you need to have people
around who bring something to the table. As you prepare to ask people to
participate in shared thinking, use the following criteria for the selection process.
Choose…
People whose greatest desire is the success of the ideas.
People who can add value to another’s thoughts.
People who can emotionally handle quick changes in the conversation.
People who appreciate the strengths of others in areas where they are weak.
People who understand their place of value at the table.
People who place what is best for the team before themselves.
People who can bring out the best thinking in the people around them.
People who possess maturity,
experience, and success in the issue under
discussion.
People who will take ownership and responsibility for decisions.
People who will leave the table with a “we” attitude, not a “me” attitude.
Too often we choose our brainstorming partners based on feelings of
friendship or circumstances or convenience. But that doesn’t help us to discover
and create the ideas of the highest order. Who we invite to the table makes all the
difference.
