It is said that we have between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts a day. Many times these thoughts lead to an idea that we latch on to and become overly excited about it, maybe even passionate. People begin to think of this idea as their baby. I’ve never heard someone say “that baby is ugly”, but I have heard people whisper it to others.
When people are trying to cover up the fact that they don’t think a baby is cute they get this tightness in their face and their voice goes up a notch or two. This is what you want to watch out for when you are pitching your next great idea to your co-workers, staff or boss especially if you have surrounded yourself with yes-people.
Sometimes your idea is ugly but it could just be that it is undeveloped. When you see the tightening of the face (or some other facial expression) or hear the higher pitched voice call them on their facial expression and ask them for honest feedback. Get them to open up and provide real feedback that will help you further refine the idea. Having the idea isn’t the goal nor is it what you should be proud of. It is the execution of or actualization of the idea that matters.
When someone is pitching an idea to you that is ugly, challenge them and force them to prove it out or develop it further. Don’t let them waste time bringing a bad idea into reality. Sure they will be upset or mad for a moment but that is far better than helping them through the failure or worse, you having to be the one to execute it.
Last updated on March 4th, 2018 at 05:31 am
