Why Simple Wins: 55% of Companies Fall Short of EOY Goals

If you’re in crunch mode this quarter, you’re in good company. The FYE is, in the words of a longtime client, The Quarter of No Mercy. And while it’s too late to rewrite goals or deadlines, you can start shifting your team’s collective mindset from one where disruptive ideas are dismissed…to one where they’re embraced. 

During your next brainstorm, introduce this four-step framework for civilized feedback. Before anyone is permitted to say anything negative about an idea, they must first answer these four lines of inquiry: What’s good about this idea? What possible benefits could result from this idea? In what ways could we overcome [insert key concern about feasibility/funding/etc.]? And finally, what’s an example of a solution that would address my key concern?

From engineering new airplane designs to creating pill bottles with smart caps, this exercise helps people in all industries be more receptive to rough concepts while establishing a common language for idea evaluation among teams. All of which adds up to an end of year where the status quo is disrupted—not your business goals.