Pushing Back on The Chronic Innovation Critics
b'Chronic innovation critics are people and processes that kill new ideas before they can thrive. They prevent you from trying new things and learning from failures. The criticisms may result in your organization getting stuck in its current state. Innovation critics love to point out why an idea will fail. These people are often the ones who have been with the organization the longest and are the most resistant to change. All organizations need people to push back and challenge ideas because it improves them. The key is to combat them with specific, objective, and actionable criticism.
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\\nFour Reasons Innovation Critics Kill Ideas
\\n1.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The Ego Response
\\n\\u201cOh, I already thought of that a long time ago.\\u201d
\\n\\u201cSomebody else has already come up with that idea.\\u201d
\\nYour idea makes these people feel threatened, but you can strategically turn things around. Appeal to their ego by infusing any feedback they give into your idea pitch to gain their support.
\\n2.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The Fatigued Response
\\n\\u201cYou\\u2019ll never get approval.\\u201d
\\n\\u201cWe tried that before.\\u201d
\\nInnovation critics are often burned out from having their innovations rejected. The key is to find a way to demonstrate that your idea will not play out their worst fears about repeating past experiences.
\\n3.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The No-Risk Response
\\n\\u201cNot enough return on investment.\\u201d
\\n\\u201cWe can\\u2019t afford that.\\u201d
\\nSome innovation critics fear risk as it can negatively affect their careers. Get them comfortable with risk by breaking your innovation into smaller steps.
\\n4.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 The Comfort Response
\\n\\u201cWe\\u2019ve always done it this way.\\u201d
\\n\\u201cOur customer likes it this way.\\u201d
\\nThese critics may have outdated thinking about what success looks like. It\\u2019s up to you to convince them that what makes up success may well have changed.
\\nThe Intent of The Criticism
\\nWith each of the four responses to your ideas, these critics can be constructive or destructive. These will be dependent on their intent and how feedback is received. Identify which of these responses you typically get, and then try to understand their motivations. If people tend to dismiss your ideas, try to explain your vision in more detail or share data supporting your case.
\\nTo overcome chronic innovation critics, encourage a diversity of perspectives, make it safe to fail, and reward innovation. This action will help to create a culture of innovation within an organization.
\\nTo know more about chronic innovation critics,\\xa0 listen to this week\'s show: Pushing Back on The Chronic Innovation Critics.
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