"But here's the problem: safe ideas don't change the game. If you want ideas that truly shake things up, you've got to do something radical. You have to give your team permission not just to think differently but to think outrageously. And to do that, you need to encourage them to come up with ideas so bold, they might just get them fired."
"Here's how it works: start your brainstorming session as usual, letting your team throw out the predictable, respectable suggestions. Once those are on the table, and everyone's energy is thoroughly underwhelming, it's time to shake things up completely. Tell your team: "Now I want you to pitch ideas so outrageous, so audacious, they could theoretically get you fired." That's when the magic happens. Pretty quickly, the energy in the room goes up dramatically, people start laughing, and ideas start to fly."
Brainstorming often produces predictable, risk-averse ideas because participants stay within a safe zone to avoid judgment. To surface transformative concepts, leaders must deliberately remove those guardrails and authorize teams to propose ideas so audacious they could risk consequences. Begin by collecting respectable suggestions, then explicitly invite 'firing-worthy' proposals; this shift dissolves fear, raises energy, and encourages unfiltered thinking. The result is a rapid flow of wild, unconventional ideas—such as launching in zero gravity or eliminating entrenched processes—that would not appear under normal constraints. Removing fear of judgment unlocks expansive, high-impact innovation.
Read at Fast Company
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