The creative process is sometimes like a slug fest between two heavyweights: the “creative process” versus its nemesis: the “end result” (the right idea).
If you want to win the battle and find the right idea, put all your money on the creative process, not the end product. Be a servant to the process and it will deliver the product you are looking for, that is, if you let it.
Here’s a typical dilemma: Your ad agency needs a solution to a problem and needs it fast. The President leads the big “brainstorm” session over lunch. He starts by saying “We need a lot of good ideas. We have one hour.”
If you ever want to kill the creative process of your team, start the session by saying you only want good ideas. Yes, finding the right idea is your goal (the end product). But what gets you there is the process, not the product.
To get closer to the solution, forget about the result and focus on the process. What will encourage more ideas? How can you engage your team to work together for the good of all? Here’s a few do’s and don’ts:
• Do work in 2-3 minute spurts (not for one hour straight).
• Do acknowledge and jot down every idea from every team player, without judgement or commentary. Fill the 3M pad; keep the magic markers moving.
• Challenge your team to come up with the worst ideas first (for 2-3 minutes). Getting bad ideas out first is freeing, and it’s more likely to create a “flow” that triggers new connections, and sharing.
• Don’t use the word “brainstorm” or “out of the box.” This is about idea generation and stalking solutions.
The more you focus on the process, the more you encourage open discussion and free association. And the more likely your organization will end up with the right result: the right idea.
Be a servant to the process. Trust the collaborative power of people.