Brainstorming refers to going over multiple ideas with one or more individuals. The definition alone makes it easy to see why brainstorming is such a crucial element in any business. Even the smartest and most knowledgeable people in the business don’t have all the answers and can benefit from the ideas of others. The best leaders understand the power of brainstorming and know how to use it in such a way that they achieve things that would not have otherwise been possible. If you don’t already, now is the time to make sure you are employing this technique with your employees and here’s why.
You Get to Collect Viewpoints
Suppose your company is launching a new product line or service.There is only one way to find out how your employees feel about these changes and that’s to ask them. As a manager, your viewpoint might be very different from that of the people who will actually be selling the product or directly affected by the restructuring. They are the ones who will be involved in the day-to-day requirements of the job. For this reason, brainstorming is valuable because it allows you to see things from another’s perspective and collecting these viewpoints helps you and your team to create new and innovative ideas.
Encourages Thought and Creativity
Managers who brainstorm with their team are encouraging employees at all levels to think critically about current issues and long term goals. Employees who are given the chance to share their thoughts feel the freedom to be creative and this can lead to some fantastic ideas. Your employees might have some valuable ideas and you will never know unless you encourage them to share their thoughts.
Team Members Can Build Off Each Other
One of the greatest advantages to brainstorming is the high amount of generated ideas. Because the ideas in a brainstorming session aren’t being criticized, it allows for others to speak up and refine the ideas. Employees can gradually build ideas off of each other and think of ways to improve them. This synergy allows for better and greater ideas to be generated.
Receive Various Solutions to a Problem
Oftentimes, the scope of an issue is too vast for just one person to tackle or they might be stumped on how to handle it. In this case, teamwork is the answer. Brainstorming allows for inclusion of a wide range of ideas so this can help your team come up with a solution that might otherwise never have been found. When people feel like they are part of something important, they usually put their best foot forward and this can lead to great ideas. Ask one person to solve a problem and it might be impossible, but the impossible suddenly becomes possible when you enlist the help of a team.