In my last post, I shared some ideas on the Key Questions To Ask before Selecting a Solution to a Business Problem. Inevitably, the reality with all Business Improvement efforts is, some ideas will have to be turned down, for a whole myriad of reasons.
The way to communicate the “rejection” of these ideas has a massive impact on how the idea originator continues to meaningfully contribute and identify further improvement opportunities in the future.
There are Three Approaches to Communicate the Rejected Idea.
1. POSITIVE:
Thank the contributor for his/her idea.
Emphasize positive points about the idea.
2. NEGATIVE:
Tell the contributor why it won’t work.
Explain the difficulties or dangers.
3. CREATIVE:
Seek alternatives and creative additional ideas.
Ask: How can we think about this differently? How can we achieve our goal in a different way? What if….? Consider new ideas, changes, alternatives.
The CREATIVE APPROACH is undoubtedly what keeps the ideas floodgates open.
Give it a Try.
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Brian Venge has spent 21 years in Quality Management, in multinational companies across 5 continents and 12 countries. He is also the author of a soon to
be released book, “Pimp Your Biz – The Complete Guide to Improving Your Business Under Any Circumstances.”