A Good Idea Is Going to Be Polarizing

A recent New York Times article told the sad story of a couple with a deep, shared interest in design and real estate, but the husband died in a car crash. They had met working in design roles in a bigger company; feeling creatively stifled, they struck out on their own.?

One sentence especially caught my attention: the widow recalled her husband saying, “A good idea is going to be polarizing.” It made me think back a few years ago, hearing an Airbnb founder speak. He talked about the different ideas they pursued and that strong reactions – positive and negative – gave them hope the idea had promise. A lukewarm “it’s okay” response was the worst. (By the way, I don’t mean anything I’m saying to apply to our political environment.)?

Last week I spent time with the leadership group of a client to discuss strategy. (The meeting was in Dallas, by the way, and we got to see the eclipse – something I strongly recommend doing at least once in your life.)?

Strategy is definitely a realm where a good idea is polarizing. Inclusion of many voices is good at the beginning, but at some point, the core of the strategy needs to be focused and decisive. As such, it might well be polarizing. If people generally think the strategy is “okay” or “fine” and have neither strong nor negative views, that’s a danger sign.?

Strategy is not the only realm where organizations need to tolerate and actually embrace polarizing views. Almost any domain that involves making judgment needs an openness to strong points of view. Here are a few suggestions about how to encourage ideas that are constructively polarizing:?

1. Concentrate decision authority. As I said above, getting a wide range of input is helpful, but that should not lead automatically to highly inclusive or consensus decision making.?

1. Explain how decisions were made. People who give input or ideas need to accept the final decision may not go their way. But to maintain trust and get their buy-in, it’s important to explain how their input played into the final decision.?

1. Reward the articulation of polarizing ideas. The leader of a team and others are well served by rewarding the courage it takes to express a strong idea. You can say something like: “I can’t say now how promising that idea is, but I really value its clarity and strength.”?

1. Find ways to experiment. Many ideas and decisions can be tested before they are widely implemented. Where there is debate about the path forward, there are often times where a small and inexpensive real-world test can provide critical data.?

Organizations face a balancing act: inclusion, respect, and listening to many voices are critical for organizational success and an environment that honors and values people. At the same time, there comes a time when trying to make everyone happy is incredibly costly.?