Idea blockers on side

You are a team leader, or a partner, director or manager in your business. Your team functions well, though one person is notorious for blocking any good ideas that may be perceived as veering away from the way they've done things for years ("If it ain't broke don't fix it" logic). Their presence is damaging morale. Maybe some people have chosen not to attend further brainstorming meetings. Something needs to happen.

Your new strengths and abilities

• Turning negative thinking into positives.
• Appreciation of 'towards' and 'away from' thinkers.
• Awareness of risk - if ideas don't stand up to aggressive attack then it's time for a re-think anyway.
• Differentiating between fact and supposition.
• Awareness of big picture and detail thinkers and the different types of contribution made by different people.
• Encouraging healthy debate - setting ground rules.
• Defining the scope of any meeting.
• Encouraging zany ideas that can be shaped later.
• Ability to coach 'difficult' people (who may not actually turn out be anything like as difficult as you might have first been thinking).

Did you know?

'Blockers' frequently turn out to be the most loyal of all staff. They may have unconsciously adopted an over-protective role. So called 'negative thinkers' can make great risk assessors saving your business many thousands of pounds.

Who would benefit?

Managers and team leaders. Senior people who have to facilitate meetings that demand creative thinking and decision making.