Why Bad Ideas Are Good Ideas

People often get upset when offered a poor solution to a problem. Some even become aggressive, critical. But notice, when someone proposes a bad idea, someone else will reject it and offer a better one instead. The bad idea stimulated a good one. The reaction to a bad idea can generate a good idea.

You don’t know what to do, until you know what not to do. If you only know what you should do, and not what you shouldn’t do, you are inexperienced. And, by the same token, if you only know what not to do and have no idea what yes to do, you are an obstructionist and paralyzed by fear.

A bad idea makes you recognize what not to do and that triggers what yes to do.

Shutting out bad ideas will shut out the good ones, too. Many people reject those who come to them with bad ideas. They criticize the individual proposing the idea, not just the idea. Then what happens? People shut up. They don’t want to be criticized and put down. They don’t say a word anymore. Now the person that shuts them up really does not know if his ideas are good or not. Allow bad ideas if you want to have a source of good ideas.

Just thinking,

Ichak Kalderon Adizes