Entrepreneurs often have enough new ideas to kill their focus. A tactical solution is maintaining a dedicated document to fully flesh out every new idea as it arises. This process satisfies the creative urge and provides emotional distance, allowing for more objective evaluation later without disrupting current priorities.

True innovation isn't about brainstorming endless ideas, but about methodically de-risking a concept in the correct order. The crucial first step is achieving problem clarity. Teams often fail by jumping to solutions before they have sufficiently reduced uncertainty about the core problem.

Create dedicated time for two distinct processes. First, an 'idea development' phase for brainstorming without judgment of budget or feasibility. Only after this phase is complete should you move to a 'refining' phase to assess practicality.

When facing internal resistance to a big idea, the tendency is to make the idea smaller and safer. The better approach is to protect the ambitious vision but shrink the steps to validate it, using small, targeted experiments to build evidence and momentum.

To avoid generic brainstorming outcomes, use AI as a filter for mediocrity. Ask a tool like ChatGPT for the top 10 ideas on a topic, and then explicitly remove those common suggestions from consideration. This forces the team to bypass the obvious and engage in more original, innovative thinking.

The most powerful innovations often come from solving your own irritations. Instead of accepting that something 'sucks' (like conferences or food delivery), playfully brainstorm a version that wouldn't suck. This gap between the current poor experience and your ideal one is where the opportunity lies.

Not all good ideas can be implemented immediately. An 'idea parking lot' (like a shared doc) serves as a repository. This makes people feel their contributions are valued, even if deferred, and creates a bank of ideas for later.

Contrary to the idea of limitless brainstorming, true innovation accelerates when leaders define clear boundaries. As seen in Lego's turnaround, providing constraints challenges teams to develop more focused, creative, and profitable solutions within a limited space.

The work that makes an innovation workshop successful happens before it starts. Before the session, assign a clear owner for the outputs and create a rubric for evaluating ideas. This structure ensures that promising concepts are systematically advanced for investment, rather than dying on a whiteboard photo.