Take off the blinkers

Spending a day in a school this week - helping Leicester Education Business Company with a Lion's Lair event - was truly enlightening. How often have you (or somebody in your firm) used knowledge and experience to kill a potentially great idea? The mantras of idea killing:

• Yes, but
• That will never work
• We tried that once
• You will never get that past the (board, customer, bank, boss - delete as appropriate)

What would happen if you applied the mind of an enthusiast to that idea and asked instead:

• How do we make it work?
• What do we need to do differently to ensure success?
• Where are the obstacles, and how do we remove them for long enough to allow the idea to flourish?

So, next time a great idea is in danger of being stubbed out on the carpet of experience - NURTURE IT.