Defending New Ideas Without being Defensive
All leaders explore, introduce, and defend new ideas. Defending an idea often creates adversarial conversations. You offer points that support your idea and others evaluate, adopt or reject.
You’ve surrendered your power from the beginning.
There’s value in the traditional process but there’s a better way.
Defend less explore more:
- Explore how new ideas compare and contrast to established ideas.
- Explore the potential results of new ideas compared and contrasted to the results of old ideas.
- Define the dangers of clinging to established ideas and the danger of adopting the new.
- Examine established ideas in light of the new.
- Acknowledge built in bias for the tried and true and skepticism toward the new.
Our bias toward staying the same is normal and often helpful. Clinging to the known is a platform for making sense of innovative ideas.
Benefits:
Adopting innovative ideas makes sense if they more fully align with reality than established ideas.
Additionally, the benefits of adopting an innovative idea must surpass the benefits of staying the same. Change for the sake of change isn’t worth the effort.
Exploring new ideas must include the questions, “What are the benefits of staying the same?” “What are the benefits of adopting a new idea?” “Does this new idea better align with reality?”
Champion:
Most importantly, someone must tenaciously and gently champion innovation during the exploration. This sounds like defending but it isn’t if you use the questions above.
Values:
The decision to adopt an innovative idea or to remain the same often boils down to values. Colliding values create tension around adopting or rejecting innovations. Wise leaders listen for values. It’s easier to explore, reject, or adopt innovations when groups share values.
When values collide, exploration ends and conversations move from pros and cons to who’s right and who’s wrong.
How do you introduce new ideas in your organization?
What strategies work well for exploring innovative concepts?
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thanks Dan, will share on Doc Peg 🙂
Dan, this reminds me of an approach that used to be popular but not really encountered too often anymore–six thinking hats. General approach is that teams approach new ideas with parallel thinking with colors representing each step:
Information: (White) – what are the facts?
Emotions (Red) – gut reaction
Bad points (Black) – flaws or barriers
Good points (Yellow) – benefits
Creativity (Green) – provocation and investigation
Thinking (Blue) – define focus
Thanks,
Kevin Kruse
Never heard of this before, Kevin, but I like it. I’m going to give it a try.
How do you introduce new ideas in your organization?
Participatory involvement by those who are being asked to embrace the new ideas and bring them to fruition.
What strategies work well for exploring innovative concepts?
Use an Idealized Design systems thinking approach to explore innovative concepts that can be implemented now as opposed to some time in the future.
An Idealized Design is subject to three constraints:
1. The concept designed must be technologically feasible.
2. The concept designed must be operationally viable. In other words, capable of surviving in its current environment.
3. The concept designed must be capable of being improved continuously from within and without.
This is a lot harder than it appears. People always want to dabble in some future state they often do not have to live with when they should be focusing on what they can do now.
This is the approach my boss uses – he’s an engineer. You’re right, Jim, many folks have trouble staying grounded in present reality. The marketing/sales folks especially like to early-adopt technology that is still very speculative, since it gives them something new to talk about. In Operations we call those “ray guns” as in “Marketing found another ray gun.” Cool to talk about, but the technology’s not quite there to actually do it.
That just proves Dan’s point: In this case, Operations is the naysayer because the process used to this point hasn’t been functional; it raises barriers.
Staying grounded in reality requires Accountability of oneself; an attribute too many refuse to embrace.
I found this blog very thought-provoking Dan. One of the things that occurred when I read about where ‘values’ fit in is something that happens in conflict management coaching. That is, when people get defensive about something, we are generally defending something important to us i.e. values, hopes, expectations, needs, etc.
So, thinking out loud here (as it were) I am wondering if one approach to such situations as you describe, is to do some self reflection related to the defensiveness. For instance, when leaders are going to present a new idea they may ask themselves questions such as, ‘what is the group likely to dislike about the new idea and why could that be?’ ‘what is likely to lead to my defensiveness in reaction to the group’s push back, and what would I be defending if that occurs? and ‘why is that so important to me?’ Perhaps also , reflecting on the shared values that may collide and how to present the new ideas with that in mind – even acknowledge that possibility may help.
Just some random thoguhts.
I’m “new girl” in an office, and see ways for them to work “smarter” instead of harder. But I’m afraid to make suggestions too early without dealing with the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” folks. How do I go about it without feeling like I’m overstepping my welcome??
Hi Cat,
I suggest you convince the folks in your office that you are on their team first. If it’s about you, you may come off as arrogant. Ask lots of questions.
I believe “new eyes” are one of the best opportunities for organizations to see themselves in new ways. However, not everyone likes being seen.
After developing relationships you can begin exploring opportunities. Jeremie Kubicek said, “Relationship before opportunity.”
Best wishes in your new position,
Dan
Cat, I applaud your ability to see past being right and recognize the dynamics. Sounds like you’re going to be a great team member. When I’ve been in your situation in the past, I’ve tried understand in depth why things are as they are. That shows people you want to understand, and it gives you a good baseline to understand the impacts of change, as well as the potential champions of the status quo. When the time comes, focus on outcomes rather than processes. Wish you the best!
I once heard Bill Taylor speak at a seminar, and he said, “The only sustainable form of business leadership is thought leadership.” This is a critical topic, Dan, because it’s all about leading ideas. Where possible, I like to work with my team regularly to develop thinking skills, which are very difficult to teach. If you have a team that is used to wrestling with new ideas, then exploration becomes the norm.
Also, I’ve had better success when we kept the discussion focused on the outcomes for our customers and business – in other words, a shared goal is the context. That lets us compare and contrast, as you suggest, against a commonly-accepted, mutually shared goal.
Very good post, thank you. I just posted a similar one on my German blog: “Don’t let others talk your ideas to death!”
http://bit.ly/tqJRSL
Have a good day.
Christoph
This is very timely Dan and has relevance for entrepreneurs as well as corporate folks. We are immersed in an explosion of entrepreneurship in Boulder, Colorado and new ideas are like snow flakes! Naturally, the receptivity to – and understanding of – new thought, approaches and technologies varies by audience. In support of those who are pitching to “glazed eyes” I just wrote a blog about overcoming communication gaps: http://www.pivotguild.com/blog/entrepreneurs-as-translators-5-ways-to-improve-your-pitch. If you are so inclined, I’d love to have you comment on defending ideas without being defensive and link back here.
Great Post! As a school board member I am always looking for ways to introduce new ideas in a non threatening way. Thanks for the advice. May I use some of the info above in a presentation I will be making at a state meeting of school board members. I of course will reference your blog in the materials I use. Thanks!!