Every challenge presents an opportunity to inject meaning into my life.
If you are interested in personal growth, self-improvement, and mental fitness, you might have heard about the Positive Intelligence program by Shirzad Chamine already. You might have even taken the program. As a Positive Intelligence Coach, I see its – as one of them recently said – life-altering impacts on many of my clients with much awe and admiration.
But if you are unfamiliar with it, here’s a little introduction. This operating system focuses on strengthening the Sage muscles of your brain through mental fitness exercises called PQ reps. Additionally, it introduces you to multiple ways of taking control of the Judge – the belittling, harsh, and unforgiving negative voice – we all have in our minds.
It is an exciting journey. And this impactful program comes with many practices that help you move from the overpowered Saboteurs toward the calm, laser-focused, and empowering Sage mindset, my favorite being the “Yes… And …” game.
And because innovation requires patience, acceptance, and a positive attitude, I find this method useful for anyone and any organization that understands the importance of promoting creativity. When you want to be in the innovation mode and lead your team to create and innovate, a great way of doing that is by playing the “Yes… And …” game.
If I were to summarize in one sentence the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations, it would be this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication.
How Does The Game Work?
Imagine that you are sitting around a table with your team and having an innovation session. And you will play the “Yes… And …” game. Here’s how it goes;
- First, each team member generates as many ideas as possible without concentrating on the quality or feasibility of the ideas.
- Only after the idea generation phase is over do the team members start evaluating each idea individually.
- The evaluation process does not begin until the generation step is fully complete as initiating it kills creativity when practiced earlier than it should.
- The primary goal is to consider each idea at least 10% right.
- And to refrain from focusing on the 90% that we might see as unuseful.
- Then, building upon the acceptable part of the idea by adding on until it reaches a collectively appreciated 100%.
Team members take the best part of an idea and start speaking on it by saying, “What I like about that idea is…” and mention the 10% that they liked about it. Say, “And… ” then add another idea triggered by that previous one.
What Are The Benefits?
Successfully conducting this process requires deep listening to each other rather than trying to come up with the most brilliant idea, which stops the collaboration and brings in judgment and competition.
When you know that even if you come up with a non-practical idea, your contribution will still be appreciated. And at least some of your input will help the team move toward another great idea. You become more creative, fearless, bold, and confident.
You don’t keep to yourself any idea and think you might look or sound illogical. Instead, you feel empowered and liberated as a team member, knowing that anything you come up with might turn into a brilliant idea with the add-ons from other team members.
Remember, in every conflict, both parties are at least 10% right.
So, why not be curious about finding the right part of other people’s creations? Not only at work but everywhere in life.
When you intentionally remove all the emotions attached to your thoughts and replace them with CURIOSITY, the door to a whole new world opens up for you.
