Mike Clark's Business Bites: Don't underestimate the power of involving your team in brainstorming

Encourage your team to think laterally - their insights could be key for your next product breakthrough! Image / Freepix

OPINION:

Archimedes famously said: "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." This is the power of leverage. While this is fully understandable in the realm of physics, many business owners could do with understanding the power of leverage in business.

There are many ways one can apply the principle of leverage in business. We can leverage on knowledge, skills and our relationship with clients to create industry-leading products and services through joint research and development. We can leverage assets to negotiate favourable terms to capture opportunities. We can leverage our teams and their wider networks when we are looking to hire key staff members.

The principle is simple yet, like many simple things, the application is not necessarily easy. It is possible and, when applied, can produce magnificent results!

"When people lean in, they buy in" is a quote that highlights the power of involving people in decisions and ideas. Very often the people on the floor doing the jobs day in and day out have a far better understanding of what is required, and potential areas for improvement.

When was the last time you brought your team together and asked them to share their insights, learning and suggestions? They've gained these over the days, weeks, months and years they've been doing the work.

Do you take ideas, problems and challenges out to your wider team and ask for input on how to solve them? This has multiple benefits.

It helps the team to feel more connected to the wider vision of the business.

It creates empathy and improves understanding around what challenges other departments and people are faced with. It draws on a huge range of viewpoints and ideas.

This can help solve problems a lot quicker. Also, the ideas and suggestions they come up will be stuff that might never have been thought of before. Not all the ideas will be practically possible - however you only need one great idea to make significant drives forward. The very act of involving people in this immediately increases trust, transparency and engagement in the team.

The secret is to have a set format to follow and to create an environment where people feel free to bring ideas forward. The last thing you want is death by committee, or so many ideas that it leads to paralysis through analysis. If this is not something you have tried, I encourage you to:

• Pick a challenge you are wrestling with

• Pull together team members you know will have insight

• Set some clear boundaries and guidelines for the discussion

• Be clear on WHY you're doing it and WHAT is your ideal end outcome

• Encourage the team to be open and honest, without judgement. (This creates a safe environment. Creativity is best birthed when people are truly free to think without prejudice or judgement.)

• Capture the ideas

• Encourage your team to think laterally - their insights could be key for your next product breakthrough!

Here's to your success!

• Mike Clark is director and lead trainer and facilitator at Think Right business training company.