2024-09-12 03:47:28
Your boss and co-workers tend to crave the familiar, so figure out how to effectively sell your new idea to them
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You have an idea how the results of the team you work in can be improved. You’ve thought it through, you’re ready to explain how it’s going to work and why it’s going to lead to better results. You tell and show, and your colleagues and boss look at you unenthusiastically, even somewhat badly.
The boss says “We’ll think about it”. After the meeting, Ivanov jokingly calls you “Nategach”.
You feel misunderstood, you feel sad. The bosses in this company always say that they value creativity, that is, creative thinking. That they keep employees showing it in their work, harnessing their imagination, coming up with interesting ideas on how to perform their tasks better and achieve success?
Don’t be discouraged, nothing too surprising happens. Although in words “creativity” is supposedly a highly valued quality in employees, in practice it is not. Conservatism is always stronger.
Research by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania proves it. They do a series of experiments, in which they find that most people welcome changes, in theory declaring a burning love for the new and a willingness to support it. But when it comes to specific new ideas, when they have to decide whether to accept them, they are tend to reject them and prefer tried and tested methods“passed the test of time”.
This is of leading importance, not whether ideas are rational or phantasmagoria. It turns out that in experiments where scientists objectively prove why something will work, the results aren’t all that different. Evidence does not motivate the majority of people. In practice, it remains biased towards the new though not always conscious of his conservatism. Simple it automatically gravitates toward the familiar, the status quo, the routine.
People usually don’t want to admit their biases, the researchers said. But there are also many cases in which they realize, recognize and defend their conservatism, calling it, for example, tradition. It often serves as a justification for resistance to the new.
The bolder the ideas, the stronger the prejudices they facethe researchers measure.
Because people individually tend to stick to what is known, they also show it collectively. At the same time, they find support in each other and their resistance increases. They they reject not only the change, but also the person who proposes it.
At work, creative colleagues are not the most loved because they are perceived as “this one complicates my life“. Doing the new takes effort, sticking to the routine is easier.
Creative thinking has indeed been declared a value in modern societies and companies. (To succeed in any career, you need creativity. Tricks to wake her up) It is always said that change moves the world forward, that new ideas are sought. So naturally, creativity is in vogue in your company as well. How it is in practice is yet to be found out despite the initial reaction of the boss and colleagues.
So far, it’s within the normal range. When you give a new idea, you are doing something good. That’s why your colleague calls you a “tougher”. Here something else is manifested, characteristic of collectives, especially labor ones. Employees do not like those who excel and raise the bar of achievement higher.
The line of the boss “We will think about it” is not unusual. How new ideas are perceived and what happens to them largely depends on his attitude.
However, bosses are also people, and for them, striving for the familiar is a normal reflex. While in theory they value creativity, in practice they may resist it – consciously or unconsciously. Possible reasons many.
The chief more easily manages traffic in a familiar track. Following the prescriptions does not require as much responsibility from him as the approval of a new idea, in the implementation of which the positive result cannot be 100% certain.
That’s why bosses often greet new ideas with “We’ll see.” Some forever forget to “see”. Others do “think”, judge and accept or reject. And really successful are the third type of managers – who not only think by getting a new idea, but constantly stimulate their subordinates to creativity and initiative.
Why is it useful to know all this? Because you have to be prepared when you are going to propose a new idea. It is more likely to meet with resistance rather than enthusiasm. A fight awaits you to enforce itnot thanks from the boss and colleagues. An important point of implementation is how to effectively and efficiently convince them that together and individually you will benefit. Well, after the initial “complication of life” that change usually entails.
The benefit you will get togethershould make a strong case for the boss.
However, do not neglect and the benefit separately – if you can convince a colleague what he will gain personally, he will support your idea. By finding a few supporters, they will be able to influence the others and the resistance will be broken.
You should not overdo the search for like-minded people by sharing your idea left and right. (Why hide your ideas from the boss and colleagues) One, that there is a risk that someone will steal it from you and pass it off as their own.
Two, that colleagues may discourage you: “That won’t happen” or “Well, why should you show initiative”.
Three – experts draw attention to the greater danger of the so-called “symbolic self-completion”. By telling your idea, you get the deceptive feeling that you’ve made it happen. With each repetition, the probability of completing it decreases.
As hard as it is to get your ideas across, you shouldn’t give up on creative thinking. Because you are clearly one of those people who strive for it, the routine does not satisfy you, you need creativity. For you, this is the way to feel satisfied with your work.
You will help yourself if you are creative and when you launch your new ideas to “sell” them to your boss and colleagues. Find out how to influence them most effectively and use exactly these methods. Be patient with your persuasion – you know from research that people are predisposed to prefer the familiar.
When persuasion fails, give up or you might get yourself into trouble. The boss will decide that you are too obsessed with striving for creativity at the expense of completing the tasks set for you. You will make enemies among your colleagues because you want to shine with new ideas.
But if you encounter resistance very often, then you have found yourself in a company that does not encourage creativity, but values conservatism. Just find another place.
———– Creativity depends on attitude
According to psychologists, some people are naturally more creative than others. Coming up with new ideas is both an attitude and a talent. Some love routine and feel extremely good about it. Others are curious, tired of the familiar, want change and constantly try something new.
According to one theory, personalities are divided into alpha, beta and gamma.
Alpha are the leaders, active, purposeful, decisive, willing to take risks, they pull forward and organize the others. They may not have a talent for creative thinking, but the best become leaders by developing the ability to recognize and appreciate the new ideas of others.
Beta are the assistants who do the main work. They act, but more often as contractors. Most of them are conservative, like the status quo and routine.
Gamma are the creators. They come up with new ideas and inspire others. They strive for change. But although they are creative, it happens that they are not active enough to realize their ideas.
In any case, a person lives more happily if he follows his personal attitude. It’s killer for the gamma type to have something simple work as a performer. He must find a profession and a place where his ideas will be needed and appreciated.
In “The Right Man” you can read more:
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Intellectual humility gets ahead in the profession. How to tell if you have it
Why never make a decision angry, hungry and in the dark
How to turn off autopilot and seize professional success
Two new trends: Goodbye to boring work. Hello, life balance
The self-fulfilling prophecy is not ala-bala, it leads to success
Tricks for business charm and for sure career success
Why more creative people are more dishonest and signs to spot a liar
How to deal with a fellow liar