Bad idea filtering

Some teams seem to consistently end up with better decisions.

While not downplaying individual contributions, I believe the way the team brings ideas to life (or kills them) matters most. It isn't about starting with more good ideas.  It's about creating a culture where good ideas are refined and bad ones are eliminated quickly.  In other words, they have a better Bad Idea Filter, and the means to make mediocre ideas good (or great).

I've found two factors to influence idea quality: challenge and collaborate.  They are blended; so much that my team coined the phrase Challaboration.

We challenge practically everything.  If you propose an idea, you will defend it against technical, business, workflow, and visual design critiques.   One person is unable to consider a variety of consequences, barriers, and alternative solutions.  A team of people with varied experiences can. If the idea cannot be defended, then it doesn't survive - even if it is mine.

With multiple solution paths explored, the resulting decision is more resilient.  It draws from improvements to address previously unforeseen aspects of the problem, while minimizing weaknesses (or at least making them known).

If challenging is behavior, then collaboration is motivation. Team members receive and provide critiques to the idea, not the person.  This isn't about scoring points; the desire must be to reach the best decision the team can make.  When I challenge a design, I do so to make it excellent. I want the other person and the team to be successful.  Thus, I challenge.

The motivation for the critique matters.  If the motivation is to increase quality results, better ideas emerge.  If the motivation is to show personal intelligence or to score points, bad decisions slip through.  Worse yet, idea generation itself shuts down. 

Your team gains confidence as they struggle with criticisms and pursue alternatives.  When external groups and customers provide input, frequently it has been considered in depth.  Your team is prepared to acknowledge inputs and explain how they were considered, enhanced, or rejected.   In turn, your team's confidence provides confidence to the customer.

Challaboration is a core value of our team.  Each person has a responsibility to assist in crafting a better solution.  They also have an obligation to identify weak ideas and prevent them from harming the team, product, and customers.  These are key, since our team doesn't start with more good ideas than most teams.  It just has a pretty darn good Bad Idea Filter. 

Free to be crazy

I’ve been thinking about why I am comfortable throwing out crazy ideas to my team. I don’t think it is solely my lack of concern about appearing foolish (although there is an element of that).

I’ve repeatedly told my team – everyone, not just managers – that one of their most important jobs is to keep me from making bad decisions. I need to know that I am going to get honest feedback from everyone. This gives me freedom to come up with crazy ideas without fear they will be accepted simply because they came from me.

How do you get the team to a point where everyone believes they can safely share feedback with you?

• Reinforce the need to know the truth from your staff. Encourage people to challenge you. They may not do this initially. After all, you are the boss.
• When you propose an idea, actively solicit input in public settings: “What do you think?” “Is there something I am missing?” “What would you do?” It will take time. If you keep asking, people will start to use their voice.
• Once people find their voice, listen. The ensuing dialogue is the reinforcement needed to move your team into a positive feedback cycle. Use this time to explore your idea, tear it apart, defend it (without being defensive), and find viable alternatives.

I have found that most of the time there are only a few outcomes (in descending order of occurrence):

• I realize I am crazy and I’m grateful that we didn’t act on my idea.
• A kernel of goodness is contained in my idea and the interaction results in a much better idea.
• I actually had a pretty good idea after all.

Remember, you aren’t trying to be right. You are trying to get to the best decision for the situation. Your job isn’t to be right – it is to make sure the right decisions are made by the team.

One last consideration. If you never accept the feedback, then you have two problems. Number one, your team will stop offering it. And two, you aren’t really interested in hearing it – which is why number one happens.

So go out and be crazy. Something good is sure to happen.

Argue your way to good decisions

If you observed my Friday afternoon leadership team meetings, you might think we are the most argumentative bunch of folks on the planet. And with good reason.

We are.

You might further think we constantly fight, back stab, and never agree to anything.

You'd be wrong.

Respectful disagreements
From the time I interviewed and recruited the team, we've interacted with respect. During interviews, I challenged their beliefs. I wanted to know how they handle a differing opinion by someone "in authority." Could they defend their position without becoming defensive? Could they acknowledge a counterpoint even if they didn't agree?

I didn't ask the "Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss" question. I wanted to disagree with them and see how they reacted. If you are going to do behavioral interviews, then you might as well elicit behaviors.

One important point. Even in heated discussions involving critical decisions, we maintain respect. We don't throw things; we don't shout; we don't name call.

High Standards
Every member of my leadership team is excellent at what they do. They have selected each other as much as they've selected me. We expect the best from each other and push each other. We don't want to let each other down.

Keep this in mind when you recruit. I've found that if you hire wrong, the team descends to the lowest common denominator. Hire well and your team rises to levels of achievement unreachable individually.

Confidence
What type of person is better equipped to be wrong and make a change? One with low self-esteem or one with high self-esteem?

Correct - high self-esteem. If we felt that our self-worth was tied to being correct, we would never get to problem resolution. We would be too busy defending our self-esteem.

So what does all this lead to (other than ending a sentence with a preposition)?

Freedom.

Freedom to acknowledge a better idea. Freedom to ask for help. Freedom to admit a mistake. Freedom to learn from each other.

What matters is that we arrive at a good decision. Equally important, it is a decision that has been argued, ripped apart, challenged, and extensively reviewed. When I walk out of the room, I'm confident a good decision has been made.

That is why I love leading this group of argumentative folks.