When students would come to legendary Stanford University engineering professor Robert McKee for feedback on an idea, he would refuse until they showed him three others as well. It stressed the importance of having more than one idea to solve a problem or come up with a breakthrough product.
Every problem, they say, is an idea problem. You want to focus less on quality of ideas and more on quantity. To measure your ability to generate ideas, take an e-mail in your inbox, preferably an important one, set a timer for two minutes, and then write as many different possible subject lines for your response as you can. No deliberation, pausing or judgment.
You need at least 10 ideas to start the day, so don’t worry about bad ones – they count, too. “Refuse the temptation to judge which ideas are keepers,” Prof. Utley and Prof. Klebahn stress. “The biggest obstacle to idea flow isn’t lack of ideas. It’s your internal censor.” But as well as training yourself, you need to train those reporting to you. Don’t grasp at the first suggestion when considering a quandary together. Demand more. When organizing a brainstorming session, make sure you have the right mix of people: Everyone should have enough relevant experience and expertise to offer solid contributions. Limit it to six people; if more than that, have them work in groups of six or fewer and then reassemble.