Brainstorming is about expanding your thinking and generating new ideas. Bringing people together to brainstorm with you about your business and personal life can be a very rewarding and powerful experience. This has proven to be an effective tool for use in businesses, relationships and setting personal goals. Brainstorming helps people overcome the feeling that they are alone in solving the challenges in their lives. It also promotes ideas that no one may have thought of without the benefit of the team.
While brainstorming, everyone tosses out ideas on a given subject. Having a scribe to put down all the ideas either on paper or on a white board is helpful so the team as a whole can keep their focus on throwing out ideas off the top of their heads. Again, not in any particular order. This process may look like a lot of ideas going in all directions, but this is normal. Later in the process you will have the opportunity to prioritize those you would like to explore further.
An important piece to this process is to share any and all ideas that come to you, whether you think they will work well or not. Write all of them down, even if they seem mixed up. You can categorize them into personal or business goals later. If you stop and try to evaluate them during the brainstorming process, you may cut off the flow of creativity and the process will be less effective. Remember, these are just ideas and later in the process you have the opportunity to eliminate those ideas which you do not wish to take on.
Here are some steps to help you as you start thinking about brainstorming:
1. Gather the troops (friends, mastermind teams, similar business owners or other direct selling team leaders).
2. Establish a topic.
3. Set a time limit.
4. Communicate ground rules on what can be discussed and what is off limits.
5. List all ideas or suggestions that are made and encourage creativity.
6. Do not evaluate ideas. Allow whatever is said to be listed.
7. As a group, consolidate all like ideas and/or categories.
8. Prioritize all the ideas based on your commitment.
9. Put a plan of action into place.
10. Thank your brainstorming team for supporting you, and make a plan to continue to brainstorm on a regular basis (i.e. quarterly, semi-annually or annually).
Have fun brainstorming and allow others to support your personal development as you grow your business.
About the Author: Kimberley Borgens has a mission in life, to inspire, empower and educate entrepreneurs to step through their fears, improve their life-style and reach for their financial dreams. She speaks to groups throughout the world about accountability and action. She is the CEO of Be A Legacy and is known as the “Accountability Coach.” She is a Certified Direct Selling & Business Coach. Kimberley is a Leading Confident Kids Trainer who works with parents to instill solution-oriented children. She can be reached at dreamteam@BeALegacy.com
