Editorial
Welcome to Courage Coach, where expert columnist Karin Hurt answers readers' tough leadership challenges with practical tools and techniques you can use right away. Have a question you'd like answered? Ask away!
Dear Courage Coach,
I’ve been working hard to encourage my team to innovate and share their ideas. But I’ve got to tell you, some of the ideas they come up with are pretty far out. I’m nervous about quiet quitting and all that if they don’t feel heard. How do I respond to an idea I can’t use? How do I get them to bring me better ideas in the future?
Signed, Drowning in Lightbulbs
Dear Drowning in Lightbulbs,
Your concern is spot-on. In general, you get more of what you encourage and celebrate, and less of what you ignore. So even if one particular idea is half-baked or “far out,” the next one might be a game-changer. How you respond matters — a lot.
In our research on courage and innovation, 50% of employees said they don’t share important ideas — such as for improving customer experience, employee experience or productivity in a process — because “nothing ever happens.” Even more respondents — 67% — said their manager “operates around the notion: this is the way we’ve always done it.” As we dug a bit deeper in our research and work with clients, we found one of the biggest issues was how managers were responding (or weren’t) to ideas they couldn’t use.
Instead of having a courageous “not this time” conversation, managers gave a vague response, said something was a great idea (and then did nothing) or even ghosted the conversation all together. Employees on the receiving end felt ignored and joined the “why bother” crowd. The next time they had an idea, they were more likely to keep it to themselves.
So, let’s talk about how to respond to an idea you can’t use. In our book, we call this “Respond with Regard.”
Related Article: Discover the Key Talent Factors for Fostering Innovation
Respond With Gratitude, Information and an Invitation
Gratitude
Start with gratitude: Thank the employee for their contribution.
Listen carefully to the team member and acknowledge their idea. It's important to show that you genuinely value their contribution and appreciate their willingness to share. Even if the idea is not practical, it's crucial to let the person who had the idea know that their voice is being heard and that their participation is essential.
"Thanks so much for spending time thinking about this."
Or, "I can tell you really care about this project, thank you for thinking about how to make it better."
Or, simply. "Thank you!"
Notice you’re not saying it’s a “great idea,” or even thanking them for the idea itself. What you’re acknowledging is the effort.
Information
Next, provide information about what will happen with the idea. If the idea is incomplete, you can share additional data or insights to help the person who proposed it explore it more deeply.
Or if the idea is something you’re already doing, for the love of all that’s good in the world, please say so: “This is such a good idea; we’re actually already doing something similar.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen managers shrug and say, “We’re already doing that,” without circling back to tell the employee, who then feels ignored and doesn’t contribute again.
This information step is particularly critical if the idea is somewhat off-the-wall, because you want the next idea they bring you to be more on target.
One of the biggest reasons an employee might propose a bad idea is simply that they don't have enough clarity or strategic context to offer a relevant idea.So if an idea is off base, provide information about why. For example:
"That idea would be really interesting if we were planning to expand our leadership training programs to include training llamas. But for now, we are focused on training humans on human-centered leadership."
Or, "That idea would be really interesting if we had five million dollars, but in this case, we've got five hundred."
Related Article: What Can Companies Do to Improve Employee Engagement?
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Provide feedback and guidance on how they can improve their ideas in the future. Suggest ways to align their ideas with the team's objectives, or provide guidance on how to develop more feasible and practical suggestions. This can help employees improve their idea generation skills and contribute more effectively to the team's work.
An Invitation
Conclude the conversation with an invitation to continue contributing and clarity about where you need more ideas and innovation: “Knowing this information, I'd love to hear what ideas you have about ______ [a topic where you really need a great idea].”
Encouraging open communication and idea sharing is essential to building a successful team — but you do indeed have to balance this with the need for practical and feasible ideas. By responding with gratitude and acknowledging the team member’s contribution, adding information, explaining why their idea may not be feasible and encouraging them to continue sharing, you can courageously navigate this situation with respect and empathy while ensuring the team's productivity and success.
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