Meet your idea critics

We are all creative, even when we don’t acknowledge our creative powers. How we take ideas and combine them in unique and unexpected ways is what creativity is all about. Motivation, inspiration, exploration, constraints and sharing are the ingredients of creativity. Sharing is also the igniter that starts us on the path of invention and innovation.

Sharing is risky. It generates conflicting emotions… What if someone steals my idea? What if I make a fool of myself? What if they don’t like it? What if? Yet, sharing is a must in order to prosper, to thrive, to evolve … A story comes to mind that I read recently about the difference between Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee.

…. The Dead Sea has no outlet. Both are fed by the same source but the Dead Sea can only receive an inward flow. The Dead Sea is prevented from flowing outward and the accumulation of salt has killed it. The Sea of Galilee is alive, only because what flows in can also flow out.

Cycle of Creativity

Creativity works the same way: you need to share and create a constant flow of ideas in order for them to thrive and grow. Otherwise, your ideas may share the same destiny as the Dead Sea.

Building a constructive feedback and critique loop can be a challenge. In today’s collaborative environment with diverse cultures and customs, it is not just about establishing a safe, transparent environment. But, also about creating a new cultural norm and values that everyone will understand, adopt and operationalize.

Staying objective is perhaps the biggest challenge for individuals receiving feedback. It requires a balance between ownership and detachment. It is important to show that you care and want to hear feedback so that you can improve. Yet you don’t want to be too attached to your idea, as it will be difficult to really listen and understand the feedback. Remember, a negative input on your idea is not an attack on you personally.

For the rest of the post, let’s look at various critics in your feedback circle. Being aware of your relation to your critics will help you understand the feedback you are given, and create a constructive and positive environment for everyone. Please critique this list and add any ideas and experiences you’d like to share.

Self: the inner voice

For me, my inner voice can be my worst enemy… We have too many demons to fight. Some we may be very familiar with, while others might be lurking in the darkness. When we share, our fears, desires, motivations, and inspirations all surfaces and we become vulnerable. Regardless, acknowledging those demons and moving forward by putting your idea on paper is a must. The first step in sharing is to get it out of your head.

Here are some tools that could help if you want to polish your idea further before sharing with others. What other tools and techniques could you use?

Stories can create an emotional connection. Whether it is your vision story or your teaching story about how it can be done tomorrow, stories can create a shared understanding.
Symbols and metaphors can be an effective means to express ideas and abstract concepts. They can support thoughts, feelings and actions, simplify complex ideas and provide opportunities for sharing and listening.
Six Thinking Hats can be a valuable tool to examine your idea from differing perspectives. For more on Six Thinking Hats, check out de Bono Thinking Systems.

Family and friends

Your family and friends are a great resource and readily available. They are also supportive and want to help. However, they may not be as objective as you want them to be. You can help overcome this by clearly assembling a set of questions to ask and being very sincere about the fact that you want honest and objective feedback.

Work group

This group would includes your boss, team members, colleagues, subordinates, … Usually they bring varying perspectives to the discussion:

Idea Feedback Circle

What is in it for me?
How much extra work would this be?
How will this help or hurt me?
Is this being done already, if not why not?
…

As individuals, we approach problems and ideas from different value points. Understanding this can help reduce confusion and conflicts. The following Characteristics of Value Approaches framework is from Conversant. Start with yourself, analyze how you approach problems, and rank each of these items from 1 to 5. You can do the same for others you are interacting with or ask them to do this exercise. As a note, my value approach is: resilience → inspiration → intimacy OR intimacy → inspiration (depending on the situation) → workability → integrity in action

intimacy — this is about people and emotions. Where the individual is sensitive to others’ feelings and experiences, and shows compassion.
inspiration — ideas, creativity and vision comes before the potential for success. It is all about what is possible in the future, as anything and everything is possible.
workability — focuses on if it can be achieved, what is needed and if those conditions are present to be successful.
integrity in action — evaluates the relationship between the walk and the talk: “if you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk”. The individual looks to achieve alignment and action to get to results, and holds people accountable.
resilience — the individual tends to learn from failures and move forward. Enjoys exploring unanswered questions and is intrigued by what makes things work or not.

As an example, if your #1 approach is inspiration and your boss starts with workability for problem solving and evaluating ideas, there is an immediate mismatch. This understanding can help you determine how to present your ideas, but also how to interpret the feedback.

Support group: mentors, champions and sponsors

Learning can be a messy and frustrating process. Mentors, champions and sponsors can be invaluable by providing insights into their own experiences. Honest, tactful and at times forceful feedback can provide invaluable professional development experience for anyone.

Mentors share their experiences and insights in a way that help connect and guide the individual. They create a safe environment where learning and feedback can happen comfortably. The role of the mentor is multi-faceted: a big sister/brother, role model, friend, teacher, …
Champions have personal interest and ownership in your results. They believe in your ideas, understand and support the project. They work at breaking down barriers, actively promoting and cheering for you.
Sponsors provide the support needed to help clear obstacles and gather resources. They may or may not be the same as champions. They are focused on aligning business purpose and goals with the overall organizational strategic goals. Ultimately the sponsor has the power and influence within the organization to make things happen. And, they are accountable for the final outcome.

Users and customers

Your users and customers are invaluable at providing insights and test driving your concepts. The theory of diffusion of innovations could help explain the characteristics and expectations on each customer segment. Your goal is to avoid asking the right questions to the wrong group.

Innovation and Adoption Life Cycle

Random strangers

Randomly chosen strangers can provide interesting insights. The selection could be a completely random sampling, such as by approaching shoppers in a mall, or it could be randomly selected experts from the field, or those attending workshops and forums… As they don’t know you, they can give straight responses, without any preconcieved history, circumstances, politics, … Group settings could encourage feedback and stimulate interesting discussions.

And finally…

Now that you know who your critics are (or can be), get out there and be criticized! Your ideas will thank you.

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