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Brainstorming 101: Can You Be More Open-Minded?

Writer's picture: Anthony LopezAnthony Lopez

Are you as open as you think you are?

A woman in a red top looks up, surrounded by four people with umbrellas, against a misty sunset backdrop. Surreal and contemplative mood.
Sometimes having an open mind is as easy as looking up

Keeping an Open Mind

Brainstorming with a life coach is supposed to be the wild playground where fresh ideas and unexpected solutions flourish. You sit with your client, they throw around concepts, and—voilà!—something brilliant sticks and they are excited to work towards their goals. Except, sometimes it doesn’t. Despite our best intentions, brainstorming sessions can stall under the weight of rigid thinking, unproductive blocks, or self-judgment.


What’s the missing piece? Often, it’s open-mindedness. We’d all like to believe we’re open to new ideas, yet many of us are more set in our ways than we realize—sometimes without even knowing it.


Today on CLCI Live, Jen Long (PCC), Anthony Lopez (MCPC), Brooke Adair Walters (ACC), Jerome LeDuff (MCLC), and Lisa Finck (MCC) talk about the importance of open-mindedness in brainstorming (and coaching) and how you can cultivate a mindset that nurtures creativity rather than squashing it.



We’re Not as Open-Minded as We Think

According to NPR, most people genuinely believe they’re receptive to new ideas. But the reality is that old habits, personal biases, and ego often keep us in a mental rut. Sometimes, we dismiss ideas prematurely—particularly if they challenge our core assumptions.


Signs of Close-Mindedness

  • Rigid thinking: Believing there’s only one “correct” method or outcome. Coaches also often refer to this as "Black & White Thinking", where the client believes there are only right and wrong ways to do things, with no middle ground.

  • Unwillingness to listen: Hearing a an observation given in a nonjudgmental manner, but instantly labeling it as “wrong.” This can happen during a coaching session, but is more often seen in a clients unwillingness to listen to people in their personal or professional lives.

  • Staying too safe: Relying on routine or default habits to avoid potential discomfort. This is commonly seen in clients who do not want to venture outside their comfort zone.

None of this is malicious (or needs to be "fixed"); its just human nature. Still, in brainstorming, being open to every possibility (however outlandish) is what sparks true innovation and can lead to new ideas that may fall in a clients comfort zone. We aren't committing yet, simply entertaining ideas.


The Value of Being Open-Minded

So what value is there in being more open minded and how does this benefit our clients when we want to have them brainstorm solutions?


  1. Generating Better Ideas: Open-minded clients are more likely to explore unorthodox or “wild” solutions. It’s in these left-field spaces that genuinely game-changing concepts emerge. And sometimes, figuring out what is clearly the "wrong" idea can lead to the best one.

  2. Collaborative Magic: A willingness to entertain others’ ideas (without belittling or shutting them down) encourages free-flowing dialogue. when you are in the position as a coach, that sense of safety for a client can turn halfway-there ideas into polished gems.

  3. Flexible Problem-Solving: A Verywell Mind article on How to Be Open-Minded points out that open-mindedness contributes to cognitive flexibility. This means you can pivot more smoothly when new information arises or when the unexpected happens.


How Coaches Can Practice Open-Mindedness

Being a life coach often requires wearing your “curiosity” hat. But as any coach will tell you, we sometimes we can slip into our own biases. Here’s how to stay on your toes:

  1. Stay Curious, Even If You’re Not really Interested: If you sense yourself tuning out because a topic doesn’t resonate personally, challenge yourself to lean in. Ask more questions.

  2. Embrace the ‘Yes, And…’ Mindset: Stay tuned for a future blog! Improv comedy, “Yes, and…” creates a springboard for ideas, rather than a dead end. Instead of “Yes, but…,” which negates, “Yes, and…” adds.

  3. Allow for Productive Pauses: Keeping the silence can feel awkward, but it’s powerful. Give clients or team members the space to think, reflect, and offer up insights they haven’t fully formed yet.

  4. Spot Your Own Triggers: Maybe you bristle at certain topics or get defensive if someone questions your approach. Recognizing these triggers helps you step back and engage more openly.


Encouraging Clients to Be More Open-Minded

As coaches, we aren't trying to "fix" a client's closed mind, or really even label them as being closed-minded. Instead we can encourage behavior that allows the client to be more receptive to new ideas and different perspectives.


  1. Model the Behavior: Clients notice when you remain calm and receptive—especially in challenging moments Demonstrate that even clashing or alternative viewpoints can be heard and respected.

  2. Set a Judgment-Free Zone: For brainstorming to work, no idea should be met with instant negativity. Ask your clients (and yourself) to suspend disbelief and let the suggestions flow.

  3. Ask Perspective-Shifting Questions: These questions are more direct methods to challenge a clients thinking and really getting them to exercise their creativity,

    1. “How would someone else in your situation view this?”

    2. “What if you approached this like a total beginner?”

    3. “Is there anything good that can come from the opposite perspective?”

  4. As How the Client can Celebrate Small Steps: Sometimes the biggest victory is just getting a client to consider and implement a new angle. Be sure to recognize them and their efforts when they succeed in stepping out of their comfort zone (Doesn't matter if it was a total success).


Open-mindedness is like a muscle: you and your client can both strengthen it with consistent practice, especially in brainstorming sessions where fresh perspectives matter most. By staying curious, inviting new ideas, and modeling open, respectful dialogue, we can help our clients develop the same growth-oriented mindset.

Remember, you can be passionate about your beliefs and still make space for others. The key is learning when to stand firm and when to leave the door open.


 

Thank you,


Jen Long (PCC), Anthony Lopez (MCPC), Brooke Adair Walters (ACC), Jerome LeDuff (MCLC), and Lisa Finck (MCC)


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