Brainstorming falsely rewards participants with a feeling of contribution.

Having the idea to go on a diet does not lead to weight loss.

Having the idea to learn to play an instrument does not make one a musician. 

Brainstorming is not getting something done.

It’s the low bar.

The free ticket.

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I have never had a hard time finding people who wanted to participate in a brainstorming session.

But when it was time to put in the work to test and implement ideas, those people were gone.

Find committed brainstormers, not single-serving critics. 

Those that understand that ideas have a cost to become a reality.

One may argue that you limit your ideation by requiring commitment, but if the goal is to drive change, is a commitment not more valuable than the volume of ideas?

Organizations don’t change because of brainstorming alone.

Organizations change because of people transforming ideas into reality – and those individuals should be there at the start.

Effective brainstorming starts with selective invitations to brainstorm.