Bad Ideas? They Don’t Exist in the Business World.

And acting like they do might be placing your company at a disadvantage.

The title may sound intense, but I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again- bad ideas don’t exist in the business world. And along those same lines, I also believe inherently good ideas don’t exist either.

These statements require a bit of context, so let’s start off by understanding what an idea is. An idea is usually defined as a thought or suggestion that can lead to a possible action. Note the phrasing here — it ISN’T the action itself, but the thoughts and POSSIBLE actions one can take.

Ideas come from anywhere, and from anyone. They are influenced by so many factors, such as work experience, educational background, life experiences, the working environment, etc. No two individuals have the exact same circumstances that dictate the manner in which their minds create ideas. This makes brainstorming and ideation sessions with multiple individuals so much more valuable — receiving different perspectives allows you to look at the problem more holistically and create a solution that tackles several different issues that no one person can account for.

When someone thinks of an idea, the idea is and should be viewed neutrally. Ideas cost nothing to think about and discuss. When an individual articulates the idea in their minds to others, viewing it neutrally creates a judgement free environment that lets others share freely as well.

Now, why is this important? Why is it essential to create an environment that encourages idea sharing and brainstorming?

“An idea is usually defined as a thought or suggestion that can lead to a possible action. Note the phrasing here — it ISN’T the action itself, but the thoughts and POSSIBLE actions one can take.”

Great ideas aren’t built on a single idea. Great ideas are the amalgamation of several ideas, and those ideas can be considered “good” and “bad”. How do “bad” ideas contribute to great ones? Simple — they offer a perspective that can tackle an issue and create a solution that is even more thorough and intuitive.

The concept of good and bad really takes shape after the brainstorming phase — it takes experience and honed intuition to look at an idea and understand that implementing it may not lead to success. However, this understanding should not dictate whether the IDEA was good or bad.

Let’s use an example:

You’re creating a business plan for a company that wants to sell hand-made, sustainably sourced clothing to working individuals. Because the cost of the product is on the higher end, the target audience ranges from 40–60 year old working professionals.

During the marketing session of this meeting, one of the team members dismisses Facebook and insists that Instagram marketing is the way to go. However, a more experienced member of the team points out that the key demographic for this product is still active on Facebook, and reaching them on Facebook is far more efficient and effective.

Does this make the first idea a “bad” one? No, it doesn’t. And there are two of many possible take-aways from the idea -

1. Don’t dismiss a platform simply because you or your peers don’t use it, especially if you’re not the target demographic of the product. You could lose out on reaching a large percentage of your demographic by doing so.
2. By looking into a new platform, you can assess whether there’s a niche audience there that you can tackle once you’ve found your key demographic on the primary platform.

The data you obtain from this project can then be used as a guide and reference for future projects. Without this idea, you may have stuck with a Facebook strategy and insisted that Instagram has nothing to offer.

On the flip side, if the team did not analyze or assess the feasibility of the idea and blindly implemented it, the outcome could be poor, therefore deeming it a “bad” idea. It’s important to understand that discerning what to do with an idea creates good and bad outcomes, not voicing or listening to an idea.

Now that the context has been set, let’s work on creating a work environment that not only acknowledges that ideas are neutral but also encourages them.

Here are a few quick tips you can implement -

Remind the team regularly

It can be easy to say something once, but that doesn’t mean it will be implemented and enacted immediately. It can take some constant reminding for individuals to understand that sharing ideas is a priority and highly encouraged, especially when mentioned by senior position holders.

Lead by example

Be the first person to throw out an idea, no matter how random. Conduct timed sessions with a goal to jot down as many ideas as possible. A great outcome of this is to take note of how many individuals have the same or similar ideas, which offers context for where to get started.

Encourage cross-department ideation sessions

Sometimes, people on the outside might offer suggestions that you would never occur to you. A fresh and frank opinion can be a turning point for many projects. Cross-department ideation sessions can be symbiotic for all involved domains and breathe new life into your project.

Host ideation sessions that aren’t work-related

This could include ideation sessions to decide where the team should eat, what the next team activity or event could be, which snacks to add to the snack cupboard next, etc. The point of this is to shake things up a little and also practise the art of throwing ideas around with no constraint.

Make it an integral part of your work culture

Put it down on paper, include it in your company mission, be sure to place an emphasis on it when speaking to new hires — just make ideation an integral part of your company. Nothing says “This is super important” like adding it to your company’s mission on your website.

Creating and maintaining an idea driven environment takes consistent effort and work, and putting in that initial bout of effort might seem like a mammoth task. But remember, it will allow you to reap unprecedented rewards in the short and long term future. Don’t underestimate the power of any idea. It only takes one idea, built upon several smaller ones, to change everything.

Does your company encourage ideation? Tell us more in the comment section below.

Thank you for reading!

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