What I learned from sharing a bad idea
“How do you get comfortable tossing out a bad idea?"
Nina Melendez Ibarra , my co-host on the This is Working podcast , asked me that the other day as we were discussing my interview with Giant Spoon co-founder, Jonathan Haber (check it out here ). Jon’s belief is that everyone can be creative and he has developed methods in his company to rekindle that natural-born skill.?
But getting people to believe in their creativity is one thing; getting them confident enough to share it in a group setting…well that’s something else.
And so Nina and I were trying to figure out how you set up an environment where people are at ease being innovative. And as she asked the question, my mind immediately went back to a particular meeting.?
This was probably three years ago, and the topic was how to visually represent the coming year’s strategy. I was in a room with people who I didn’t typically interact with, so I was already trying to figure out my place. But I had an idea that I thought was probably 55% good. Good enough to throw out there as a thought starter.
My suggestion was met first by silence, then by a laugh by the person running the meeting. “We’re definitely not doing that,” he said. He also mentioned that it sounded like something from the late ‘90s.
This event happened years ago and I can still feel the embarrassment. So much for planting a seed that might grow into an actual good idea.?
Now, that said, it was such a nothing moment that I’d be shocked if anyone else in the room thought about it even after the meeting ended. And I’ve probably been in thousands of meetings since then where nothing has gone wrong.
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But if that one atypical nano-moment is still casting a shadow over me when I think about “bad ideas,” it seems like the way you get comfortable sharing ideas is by making sure you’re in a room where ideas can grow. That means working to have an environment of two things: trust and respect. You have to set up rooms where people feel supported and boosted. And where even an idea that no one else believes in — the ones that don’t get a “yes, and” — are at least given dignity in their death. (Something like: “That’s an interesting idea. Might not work now, but let’s keep it on the list.”)
Am I always great at this as a leader? Absolutely not. There are times when I move too quickly to squash something that I am confident isn’t going to work or that I feel is too narrow. And I’m sure I’ve joked about ideas that I felt were non-starters — to the chagrin of the people pitching them. This is something I’m continuing to work on. And I would love ideas about how to make sure you’re getting the best ideas from your teams.
Because as we all deal with more and more change in how we work and the expectations of customers and employees, we’re going to need all the ideas — good and bad — we can get to make sure work and the economy keep improving.
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3 个月I think trust and respect are especially when you have junior members in your team. Often junior members can already feel fearful or imposter syndrome , if even you Daniel Roth as an established professional felt that pinch of embarrassment, imagine what that could do to someone who’s building confidence. This is such a great reminder and insight, thanks for sharing.
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8 个月“That’s an interesting idea. Might not work now, but let’s keep it on the list.” -- love this going to add it to my swipe file and will use it in the future thanks, Dan!
Leadership, Executive Coach, Team Facilitator, Strategic Advisory
9 个月I used to tell the people that I led that one of their roles was to prevent me from doing something stupid. I'd add that if you don't speak up and only later tell me you knew it was wrong, I'd view that as part of their job performance. I ensured they'd get the same honest evaluations of their ideas from me. The other demand I placed on people in meetings when it came to an idea was to demonstrate that they understood the ideas of others and could articulate the positives and the drawbacks before jumping to conclusions. It's the itemized response technique where you elicit the upsides before the downsides. Thinking in terms of "bad ideas" and "dignified death" misses the mark as just maybe that idea viewed initially as bad can become something brilliant if given a full listen and discussion. Even in executive groups, I've seen good ideas flame out as cheap closure is just too easy. The challenge is that we too often see ideas as either/or. In business decisions, this often leads to failure as we look at issues too narrowly. Even teens do better when they broaden the issue they're facing things such as "which university offer to take" and broaden to what program will benefit them more given their interests.
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9 个月Having a space that is welcoming of new ideas I think is the first step. I also think that to share an idea is to contribute to something that you want to see grow. A good idea, then, is to have a sense of good will towards a project and ultimately towards your fellow human beings. Knowing that your idea is meant to contribute makes it more rewarding when you share it. Even if the idea is rejected or if it is not taken in consideration at first. The good will stays with you and you can’t help to feel like you’ve contributed even by just sharing your idea.
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9 个月I've found that creating a safe and inclusive environment encourages people to comfortably share ideas. Building trust and fostering open communication are essential. #InclusiveCulture #CreativeIdeas ????