The Power of "Stupid" Ideas

Have you ever found yourself hesitating to share an idea, one so weird or seemingly absurd that you questioned its merit?

I've made a conscious decision to share even my wildest and seemingly "stupid" ideas with my team. Because hidden beneath these unusual thoughts, there's a chance for something really amazing.

During brainstorming, we are often our harshest critics. The fear of judgement and the concern that our ideas may be deemed impractical or even silly can be paralysing. I've adopted a different mindset - one that welcomes the bizarre, the outlandish, and the seemingly absurd.

It's a known fact that not every idea can be a winner. In fact, I'd estimate that about 90% of my seemingly "stupid" ideas end up in the trash. However, the magic lies in the remaining 10%. These ideas, once considered, tweaked, upgraded, and implemented, have the potential to transform into something remarkable. What appears nonsensical in one context might be the missing piece in another, creating a ripple effect of creativity.

The part I didn't fully understand at first is that you have to go first. Not once, as a gesture. Repeatedly, and with genuine commitment to saying the thing out loud even when it sounds ridiculous. I've sat in brainstorms where the brief was "nothing is a bad idea" and then watched the facilitator subtly redirect the first two ideas that were actually strange. The team read that immediately. Nobody said anything weird after that.

So I started volunteering my more embarrassing ideas early in the session, on purpose. Not to perform openness but because someone had to make it feel safe to be wrong in that room. Sometimes I can see the relief on someone's face when they realise I'm genuinely not holding back. And that's usually when the interesting stuff comes out, honestly.

One of the reasons I encourage sharing even the most unconventional ideas is the power of collective creativity within a team. When a team collectively examines an idea that seems absurd at first glance, the potential for innovative solutions and breakthroughs becomes boundless.

When a team member presents what might be considered a less-than-stellar idea, I see it as an exciting challenge. Can I take this concept and reimagine it? Can we apply this idea elsewhere? By approaching these moments with curiosity rather than dismissal, we open doors to unexpected possibilities.

There's also the question of what we never hear. Every idea that doesn't get shared is invisible, so you don't feel its absence. But I've had moments where someone mentions, almost in passing, that they had an idea six months ago that's basically what we're building now. They just didn't say it. Those conversations are a bit gutting, actually, because you can't go back. The idea existed. It just lived and died quietly in someone's head because the conditions to share it weren't quite right.

That's the thing about psychological safety that's hard to talk about without it sounding abstract. You don't get to measure what didn't happen.

When team members feel empowered to share their unconventional thoughts without fear of judgement, it sparks creativity. Every seemingly "stupid" idea becomes a seed for potential innovation, and the collaborative spirit of exploration becomes the catalyst for discovering something truly awesome.