People who understand their place of value at the table.

People who place what is best for the team before themselves.

People who can bring out the best thinking in the people around them.

People who possess maturity, experience, and success in the issue under discussion.

People who will take ownership and responsibility for decisions.

People who will leave the table with a “we” attitude, not a “me” attitude.

Too often we choose our brainstorming partners based on feelings of friendship or circumstances or
convenience. But that doesn’t help us to discover and create the ideas of the highest order. Who we invite to
the table makes all the difference.

5. Compensate Good Thinkers and Collaborators Well

Successful organizations practice shared thinking. If you lead an organization, department, or team,
then you can’t afford to be without people who are good at shared thinking. As you recruit and hire, look for
good thinkers who value others, have experience with the collaborative process, and are emotionally secure.
Then pay them well and challenge them to use their thinking skills and share their ideas often. Nothing
adds value like a lot of good thinkers putting their minds together.

No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, you can do it better with shared thinking. That is why I spend

much of my life teaching leadership. Good leadership helps to put together the right people at the right

time for the right purpose so that everybody wins. All it takes is the right people and a willingness to

participate in shared thinking.

Thinking Question

Am I consistently including the heads of others to think “over my head” and achieve

compounding results?