Coaching for Leaders

630: Better Ways to Lead Brainstorming, with Jeremy Utley

83 snips
May 15, 2023
Jeremy Utley, Director of Executive Education at Stanford's d.school, dives into the world of brainstorming. He reveals that most leaders underestimate the sheer volume of ideas needed for innovation—2,000 to one! Discussing cognitive closure, he explains how familiar solutions can stifle creativity. Jeremy offers fresh tactics for effective brainstorming, emphasizing low-barrier prototyping and problem framing. By fostering collaborative environments and embracing failures, he suggests teams can turn brainstorming into a continuous journey of innovation.
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INSIGHT

Cognitive Closure in Brainstorming

  • Brainstorming sessions often fail due to our inherent dislike for the unknown, called cognitive closure.
  • People tend to latch onto the first plausible solution, regardless of quality, to escape this discomfort.
INSIGHT

Einstelling Effect

  • The Einstelling effect, or cognitive fixation, hinders creativity by making us rely on existing patterns.
  • This leads to choosing suboptimal solutions and ceasing the search for better alternatives, even when told they exist.
ADVICE

Focus on Inputs

  • Focus on inputs, not just outputs, during brainstorming.
  • Consider the cognitive building blocks or "Legos" available and how they connect to form new ideas.
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