Creativity is energy and it can pull people closer together, or push them further apart. Think back to a time when you were brimming with passion and enthusiasm for an idea you had just come up with. You shared your idea with a few colleagues and before you even had a chance to fully articulate it, they started shooting holes in it.
If it has happened to you at the company you're at right now, you can bet it's happening to others. The good news is you can make a difference. It starts with "Respect".
eturn the enthusiastic energy of a colleague's idea, with equally enthusiastic listening.
ducate your colleagues on ways to support each other's ideas. (This list counts as one way to do that.)
uspend judgment until the timing is right. Embryonic ideas need incubating time to develop into solutions.
lay with ideas. Keep ideas light, fun, free, and energetic.
ncourage "an environment of safety", where ideas can be openly shared and developed.
ollaborate on what "an environment of safety" is. There will be diversity. Make sure the ground rules accommodate everyone's needs.
rain your colleagues and your direct reports to recognize the difference between ideas and solutions so that appropriate feedback can be offered. "I have a solution" requires critical thinking and evaluative feedback (Yes. But what if….) versus "I have an idea" which requires additive thinking and supportive feedback (Yes! And we could also…)
