There’s still space in the Worst Online Meetings Hall of Fame for more of everyone’s most difficult executives to collaborate with successfully. Inductees from the first weeks included those who would rather take it easy than take a risk and use their positions, quick judgments, and narrow thinking to thwart innovative strategies.
This week’s inductees represent the extremes: the people who won’t do any work to turn innovative ideas into reality and the executives who are continually pushing for bigger thinking and possibilities, much to the chagrin of their teams, who struggle to satisfy the demand for breakthrough thinking all the time.
There’s a certain type of business person who looks like they are all that with progressive ideas. They turn into invisible men (or women, but honestly, it tends to be men), when the real work starts, though. They are idea posers, or put another way, the avoidant ones.
I have been around many avoidant ones. My prototypical representative of this inductee group was someone I worked with years ago. He was a great guy; so fun to be around back in the day when everyone in the headquarters would party on Friday nights. He gave great meeting, and he was always open to sharing his thinking. When it came time to dole out assignments to actually do things? This guy, (I’ll call him Mike, because that was his name), would start making an ack-like sound, put his hands up weakly like he was being falsely accused, and start pushing away from the conference table. That was Mike’s sign that somebody was asking for way more than he would be able to sign up to accomplish.
Pre-Blast!, the approach with Mike was to show up in his office to turn his stream of consciousness ideas into plans and tactics. Now, with Blast!? We could get Mike and his fellow inductees to spend only thirty minutes to document their ideas for what needs to be done. We’d sweeten the deal by promising them he wouldn’t have to do anything they suggested. Score 1 for Blast! moving ideas into action.
This group of WOMHOF inductees creates an awkward moment.
These inductees (The VP of Sales, Director of Innovation, and Chief Marketing Officer) are all Idea Magnets. And since you are reading Brainzooming, you are likely an Idea Magnet, too.
Apologies upfront for including you as a potential #WOMHOF inductee, but here’s the thing. You run your team ragged. They can’t keep up with your seemingly unending flow of (and continual push for more and bigger) innovative ideas. Face it, most people aren’t wired like you are.
Working with many Idea Magnets and having their team members reach out for ideas on keeping up with the demand for ideas, I understand: the struggle is real. Their challenges led to creating Brainzooming. And from Brainzooming, came Blast! That’s why, if you are an Idea Magnet, Blast! Is the perfect way to help your team simply and quickly imagine the types of breakthrough ideas that come as naturally as breathing to you.
Most people I've worked with exist in the middle between the extremes of these posers and pushers in the Worst Online Meetings Hall of Fame. Which group do you find more challenging to manage toward successful results? And look for more details on all the WOFHOM inductees so far on our Brainzooming Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds where we'll also unveil another group of inductees next week. – Mike Brown