Several months back, I wrote about being tough on ideas but gentle on people in order to create a more idea- and innovation-friendly culture. Whenever I repeat that line in a talk, it garners smiles and nods. But while the notion resonates, the question remains: How exactly do we do that? A peek at today’s political debates or various online comment streams reveals arguments about as thoughtful as those in the old Saturday Night Live “Point/Counterpoint” skit starring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.
Debates within organizations rarely contain that level of vitriol, but it can be deceptively easy to slip into battles for the triumph of your idea rather than a spirited quest for the best idea. It’s a natural impulse — few people have been formally trained to argue and critique and, after all, we work in highly competitive environments. Despite our higher-ups encouraging us to collaborate, winning is too often the dominant goal.
