That was the dumbest idea I've ever heard!

Have you ever been that guy (or girl) with the dumbest idea?  It's not all bad.  Many times it can work for you.

Let's say you are asked to lead a group of peers to come up with a solution to a problem.  You and your group decide on a meeting date and place.  Your first one hour meeting goes something like this...

1. Some people have input on how the problem could be worse. 
2. Some people dwell on how we got into this problem situation in the first place.
3. Some people focus on who is to blame for this problem.
4. Some people come up with creative solutions (this is what we want!) on how someone else who is not part of this group, does not care, or does not have accountability to act, should solve this problem for us (crap, that isn't what we wanted!).
5. ..and there are always a few that just sit there quietly and don't say a thing.

You have just wasted one hour of your life.  Let's not do that again! 

Unfortunately, 1 thru 5 above are human nature.  Unless you are part of a group of super-leaders, you will get some similar form of unproductive chatter.  My tip: accept it and deal effectively with it.

Here is what you might want to try during your first meeting...

Step 1: Announce to the group that they can have the first 10 minutes discussing the problem.  Leave it open ended, but watch the clock.  I guarantee they will spend that time focusing on some form of 1 thru 5 above.  Let people get it out of their system.  Remember; Cut them off after 10 minutes.

Step 2:  Remind the group that it is their responsibility to come up with an actionable, realistic, and creative solution to the problem.  If they have touched on anything that resembles 1 thru 5 above, read numbers 1 through 5 aloud.  They will quickly realize how unproductive their dialog has been.

Step 3: Offer up the first solution.  Any crazy idea will do.  Offer up your idea and then do not say another thing.  If there is silence, let it linger for a minute or two.  If that does not get some constructive dialog going, pause, then try another idea.  Still no dialog?  ...pause and repeat Step 3.

Eventually, someone (or many) in the room will think one of your ideas is the dumbest idea that they have ever heard.  That's OK.  Bad ideas are good if they are constructive and thought provoking.  Inevitably, you will hit on something that strikes a cord in someone that starts a healthy discussion leading to a good solution.

Trust me on this.  If you want to lead, you need to be the first one to throw something out there and let it get torn apart.  Show the team that it's OK to speak up with a bad idea as long as it's constructive and moves the conversation forward.  Your bad idea will "break the ice".  Once the ice is broken, the creative juices in the others will start to flow. 

Step 4 (if needed):  It is not uncommon that someone will start down the "death spiral" of 1 thru 5 above.  Stop them quickly.  Like a virus it will spread it's disease quickly.  Vaccinate with a vengeance.  Refer everyone to Step 2 and start over. 

If it continues to get unruly, politely (yet firmly) adjourn the meeting until another time.  People will get the hint that the unproductive "death spiral" discussion will not be tolerated.

Hopefully, Steps 1 thru 3 get you to a solution.  If not, and it gets ugly, do not be shy about pulling out Step 4.  I've seen it work.

Has this ever happened to you?  How have you dealt with these types of situations?  Please leave a comment and share your experiences.