There are three things I've learned about Team Leaders in the past 37 years of working with these organizations. 1. They want their teams to become more high performing 2. The time they have to play their role is limited 3. They have choices about which team building efforts to make Towards that end (assuming you have three minutes), take a look at the many choices you have to increase the long-term effectiveness and well-being your team. Then pick at least ONE to focus on this week. YOUR CHOICES -- Listen more deeply to each team member's needs and perspectives -- Notice when team members ar ..read more

If you are a Team Leader, one of the first things you will need to do is let your team know the full scope of your roles and responsibilities. You may think they know, but it's very likely that they don't -- at least not at the level of specificity that a high performing team requires. And if team members don't understand what you actually DO -- and WHY you do it -- chances are good that they will resist, rebel, or reject your efforts to play your role. 1. HOW TO PROCEED: As soon as possible, meet with your team and explain the scope of your role. If you happen to be a new team leader (and y ..read more

Some team leaders, when they first hear about Free the Genie, assume it is a "nice to have" service -- intriguing and unique -- but not necessarily essential. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, Free the Genie is an antidote for a wide range of problems most forward-thinking teams regularly encounter. 1. Difficulty getting to the root causes of problems in order to frame the kind of powerful questions that lead to game-changing ideas, initiatives, and measurable results. 2. Lack of team alignment re: identifying core issues that require the application of collective brainpowe ..read more

1. How many online sessions are included in a Free the Genie engagement? Two. 2. How long is each session? 75-90 minutes. 3. How many members of our team can participate? Four. 4. Our team is bigger than four people. Can we still use Free the Genie? Yes, but only four people can participate at one time. Why only four? Because we want to increase the odds of people actively participating in the creative thinking process. When more than four people participate, there is a tendency for some people just to observe. 5. Do the participants have to be an intact team, or part of an intact team, or ca ..read more

Since 1987, Idea Champions has been designing and facilitating a wide range of brainstorming sessions, creative thinking trainings, and innovation workshops for more than 130 organizations in 11 different countries. During that time, we have worked with just about every industry on planet earth and every kind of mindset. What follows is a sampling of testimonials from our satisfied clients. "Through your brainstorm facilitation, we gained more than 100 original ideas of high quality. The best of these will guide AT&T's development for years to come." - Robert Rubin, CCS Product Developmen ..read more

Whenever I ask my clients to tell me about the quality of their company's brainstorming sessions, they usually roll their eyes and grumble, noting several of the phenomena below. Recognize any of them in your organization? 1. Lame facilitation 2. Wrong problem statement 3. Unmotivated participants 4. Hidden (or competing) agendas 5. Insufficient diversity of participants 6. Addiction to the status quo 7. Lack of clear ground rules 8. Insufficient trust in the facilitator 9. No transition from "business as usual" 10. Lack of robust participation 11. The extroverts take over 12. Habitual idea ..read more

Free the Genie for Teams is a simple, online, collaborative process that enables teams to unleash their collective genius and generate breakthrough ideas in service to a compelling goal, challenge or opportunity. The service we provide is the distillation of what we've learned, since 1987, designing and facilitating more 1,500 creative thinking sessions for 130 organizations in 11 countries. Bottom line, we know how to open the floodgates of creativity. It is not a magic pill, but it does work magic and it does so in a very intentional and organized way. What follows is a menu of the services ..read more

Free the Genie is a lightly facilitated online brainstorming session that enables anyone with a need, goal, or aspiration to make a quantum leap of thought and action. Bottom line, it's a GPS for the creative process -- a highly engaging way to close the gap between dream and reality. Ideal for committed individuals and small teams. A Sampling of Testimonials "Priceless. A way to dream big, edit your dream, and then do!" -- MaryJane Fahey, Founder, Glorious Broads "Free the Genie is like a fan blowing fog out of a room so you can see clearly. Highly recommended." - Douglas Robinson, Composer ..read more

Stevie Ray McHugh, Co-Founder of Idea Champions, is a seasoned expert in strategic planning, balanced scorecards, team building, lean manufacturing, and innovation. By simultaneously focusing on leadership coaching,large-scale collaborative planning, building effective teams, process improvement, and tracking results, he helps companies align and enroll the entire organization in strategic change. For over 30 years, Stevie Ray has worked with companies of all sizes -- coaching executives, intrapreneurs, small business owners, entrepreneurs, non-profit directors, and change agents to grow to t ..read more

If you're on the prowl for inspiring quotes you can use for work, your book, speech, website, love letter, kidnap letter, slide show, blog post, business proposal, graffiti, or time capsule, look no further. PS: We are all in this together! Change Possibility Beginning Vision Communication Innovation Intuition Peace Time Risk Taking Appreciation Failure Leadership Creativity Einstein Humor and Play Purpose/Work Collaboration Story Ideas Asking the Right Question Mastery Uncertainty and Letting Go Trust Feedback Education and Learning Commitment Excellence Planning Revolution "The world is a ..read more