Attack of the idea killers

BRAINSTORMING IS A collaborative idea-generation process that (theoretically) gets great results. Yet it takes only a couple of bad seeds to turn these sessions into unpleasant and unproductive nightmares. Remi and SpringsComm member, Timothy; say every company has its share of underminers and identify the most common offenders. See how many of these troublesome types you recognize.

Attention vampires. They always want to stand out and be the center of attention. They can smother a brainstorming session by dominating the conversation, excessively pushing their ideas and ultimately sucking the life out of the whole group.

Dictators. They love every idea, as long as it’s theirs. These totalitarians feel they are the only ones with good ideas, or good taste, for that matter. Many bosses unknowingly become dictators in meetings (not on purposes, but their role in the company makes it too easy).

Idea assassins. These seasoned killers love to shoot down ideas-anyone’s and everyone’s. Under the pretense of being constructive, they find flaws, poke holes and pick apart promising ideas until they bleed to death.

Obstructionists. To them, nothing is simple or easy. They overcomplicate conversations and procedures and bring up extraneous facts or considerations that derail the flow of the group. Obstructionists over think, over speak and single-handedly dead-end otherwise promising sessions.

Social loafers. These are the people who show up for a brainstorming session but rarely participate in the generation of new ideas in a meaningful way or contribute much of substance. They usually sit back, appearing bored or aloof, and let others do the heavy lifting.

Wet blankets. These are the pessimists who have the unique ability to instantly dampen the enthusiasm level of a session by being discouraging and depressing, and the majority of their comments don’t hold water.