Perhaps…I’m a bit unusual.

 

I say that because on a more-or-less regular basis people give me funny looks. From my perspective, these looks on people’s faces range from ‘pained’ to ‘puzzled’ to ‘I’m going to get even with this guy…if he ever stops talking’. I am not saying I know for sure that’s what people are thinking or feeling; I’m just saying that’s what it looks like their faces are trying to tell me.

 

Q: When does this happen most?

 

A: Well…it happens when I express ideas…ideas I would describe as ‘creative ideas’.

 

Here’s the sequence: I express a creative idea then people look pained or puzzled or annoyed. This does not happen every time I express creative ideas but it does happen often enough to cause me to write about it, which is what I am doing here.

 

Q: Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

 

A: Overall, I think it is a good thing…and…it is particularly good when people look that way then do not batter my ideas too much. If they batter my ideas too much then it isn’t such a good thing.

 

Q: What do I mean by ‘batter my ideas’?

 

A: I am going to borrow from John P. Kotter, the author of ‘buy-in, saving your good idea from getting shot down’.

 

John P. Kotter says there are four ways to kill good ideas:

1. Fear mongering [playing on fearful memories]
2. Death by delay [dragging out the process]
3. Confusion [presenting irrelevant facts]
4. Ridicule [character assassination…of the person with the good idea]

When I hear things like fear mongering, death by delay, confusion, and ridicule I know the look of pain/puzzlement/annoyance isn’t a good thing. I know I have not pre-paved the path for good discussion let alone pre-paved the path for change.

 

When I don’t hear those 4 ‘bad’ things…that’s good.

 

When I don’t hear those 4 ‘bad things’ I generally see and hear one of the following:

• Nothing
• An effort to change the topic
• Questions

I like it best when I hear Questions because that lets me know there will not be too much battering of my business ideas.