The FBI and top law enforcement officers from seven countries on three continents use our team innovation action steps. 

STEP #1: CREATING
How might we . . . ?

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."  —Albert Einstein  
"Crazy times call for crazy organizations."  —Tom Peters, author, Thriving on Chaos

Goal: 100 ideas

Could Be — Come up with ideas that will address the issue using the guidelines below:  

• Write one idea per postit note and shout them out as you put them onto the pile.
• Think big and think offbeat. Temporarily ignore rules, budgets, and laws of nature. Go well beyond the obvious. Anything goes.
• Suspend judgment. No one is allowed to judge any ideas. Don’t self-edit. The only comments allowed on ideas are ones that will add to the idea, or clarify it.
• Avoid being practical or looking for one right answer. Encourage wild ideas.
• Be playful and be okay with making mistakes. Think B-I-G and have fun.
• Expand on other people’s ideas. This is a group effort, not a competition.

STEP #2: ADVANCING
What is the "most exciting" group?

"When you spend your time researching what you can do by manipulating your existing technology, you lose sight of what you could do."  —Peter F. Drucker

Goal: Move the most exciting idea-group forward

Should Be — Consider all the ideas and use the guidelines below to move forward: 

• Group similar ideas together. THEN decide on the heading for each group.
• Which group is most original and attractive to the workplace or marketplace?
• Which idea group will significantly address the issue and can be implemented with speed and efficiency?
• Choose the most exciting group based on past experience, successful methods, need, and STRETCH. 

STEP #3: REFINING
How can we make this better?

"There are risks and costs to any program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."  —John F. Kennedy, United States President

Goal: Remove hurdles

Can’t Be — Analyze the advanced group and come up with reasons why it may not work using the following guidelines to refine the group prior to implementation: 

• What are the consequences if we do these ideas as presented?
• What potential challenges could arise in the workplace or the marketplace?
• What are the system blocks in the organization that might prevent these ideas from being implemented?
• Decide how this idea will work within the available resources of time, money, and people.
• Refine it. Don’t kill it.

STEP #4: EXECUTING
What is the flow?

"Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there."  —Will Rogers

Goal: Specific step-by-step action plan

Will be — Create a flow chart using the following guidelines to ensure that the idea can be implemented successfully: 

• Do these ideas require significant changes in the work flow?
• Does the time line and task schedule require training or resources not currently available?
• What tasks (if any) will suffer if these ideas are implemented?
• Prepare a well-thought out and orderly process for implementing a high-quality action plan including time lines.
• Identify celebration points and select celebration activities.

Avoid

• Moving forward too soon
• Thinking you are wasting time
• NOT moving forward