Is it Really a Great Idea?

You’re in a committee meeting with 6 other people. One of your fellow committee members says, “I think we should start charging for parking.”

Another committee member immediately replies, “That’s a great idea!” Ever been in that situation? What just happened? Well, for one thing, if you have some doubts, or curiosity about whether the idea makes sense, your job just got a lot harder.

If you say something like, “I’m not sure that will work,” you’ve done two things. You’ve questioned the “wisdom” of the person who announced it was a great idea and you’ve robbed the member who had the idea of a compliment. It didn’t used to be this way. But in a world where people are constantly concerned about self-esteem, ours and that of others, quick praise has become second nature to some of us. We have become more sensitive to criticism in recent years, perhaps because we are living in politically charged times. When someone says, “That’s a great idea,” as soon as they hear it, chances are the words are aimed at praising the individual rather than the idea. Very few ideas are automatically great or terrible. Immediate praise is a reaction. Opinions take time and effort to form.

Ideas should not be coddled. Nor should they be smothered. Ideas should be explored. Ideas need air to breathe. They demand thoughtful discussion, research, and contemplation. When someone in a group immediately christens an idea great, it makes it harder to do the work it takes to properly assess the idea. After all, even great ideas can be made better when people are open to honest assessment. Thoughtful review can also expose the weakness of bad ideas which can save time, money, heartache and even avoid a disaster.

It’s also true that some ideas are hatched with a personal motive in mind, which may not be in the best interest of a project or organization involved in the endeavor. Left unexamined, the group may have to contend with an idea that comes with unintended consequences. Solid discussion can expose such motives and avoid problems.

The best ideas are often an offshoot of a similar, less attractive proposal. I have been involved for several years with a university scholarship program established by members of a now defunct fraternity. After we achieved our initial goal and qualified for an endowed scholarship, contributions began to fall off. Yet, we weren’t that far from doubling our initial $50,000 requirement. How to reignite interest? My initial idea was to create a special designation for members who committed to a certain size donation. Admittedly, it wasn’t a strong idea, but after discussing it with a fraternity brother, he proposed a donor match concept instead. Early results are excellent. Had he told me my special designation idea was great, how much additional thinking would we have done? More importantly, I doubt we would have achieved the success we hoped for.

Committees exist to move projects forward and get things done. Ideas are often critical to success. When someone has an idea, certainly it should be acknowledged. A positive reaction encourages people to come forward with ideas. However, rather than pronounce it great (or horrible) perhaps you might want to consider saying, “That’s an interesting idea. Let’s explore it!”