Maybe This Time

Early in my career I was that person bubbling with wild, innovative ideas – the kind that made senior managers raise their eyebrows and shift uncomfortably in their chairs. I can still hear those dream-crushing phrases: "That isn't how we do things here" or the classic "We tried that and it didn't work." Talk about conversation killers! Those words could stop a brainstorming session faster than free pizza disappears from the break room.

When I finally broke free from the corporate world, I thought I was leaving all that negativity behind. (Spoiler alert: I wasn't!) Turns out, this resistance to change isn't just a corporate thing – it's woven into our human DNA. Whether I'm chatting with a startup founder or a seasoned small business owner, those familiar phrases keep popping up like uninvited guests at a party.

Now, I haven't changed one bit. I'm still that idea generator, tossing out what some might call crazy, half-baked concepts. But over the years, I've developed some pretty effective ways to keep the conversation flowing when I hear those innovation-killing phrases.

Let me share my favorite strategy when someone hits me with "That isn't how we do things here." I simply look them in the eye and ask, "Why?" (Trust me, keeping the sarcasm out of my voice is sometimes an Olympic-level exercise in self-control. In my head, I'm usually screaming "ARE YOU KIDDING???") But here's the magic: if you can ask that question genuinely and then just... wait... something wonderful happens. People start talking, explaining their current processes, and before you know it, we're having a real conversation about what's working and what isn't.

Some of my favorite conversations start when someone says, "We tried that and it didn't work." This is where things get really interesting. Because let's face it – timing is everything. What flopped last year might be exactly what you need today. So I've developed a set of questions that turn resistance into brainstorming:

"What do you think caused it to fail?" "How long did you give it a chance?" "Has anything changed in your company since then?" "What about your marketing – is that different now?" "If you had a do-over, what would you change?" "What lessons did you learn that we could apply to our next venture?"

The secret sauce? Getting people excited about possibilities instead of stuck in resistance mode. It's like turning a "no" into a "what if?"

Inspiring Creativity is a passion of mine, and a regular topic on More than a Few Words

#1039 - Creativity is a Round Process

#795- Tips to Train Your Brain - Elizabeth Louis

#692 - Ideas are Free - Bruno Pešec