Supporting others’ ideas doesn’t always mean praising them. When leaders and team members want to foster others’ ideas and bring them to implementation, sometimes the best way to do this is through respectful and open critique.
Asking the hard questions and identifying possible weak spots can be invaluable in making an idea that has potential stronger and bringing it to a place where it could be implemented. Furthermore, voicing these concerns, appropriately, can actually help to keep the idea alive and avoid it from permanently ending up on the discard pile.
By asking questions and helping to come up with solutions to potential issues, allies can engage in joint problem solving with the idea holder. This not only develops the idea into something that is more likely to be implemented, but it helps to prepare the idea holder to face critique from those with the power to ultimately approve and implement it.
A supportive team environment is critical in any workplace. Book a call with me to discover how I can help you, as a leader, create an environment of psychological safety that empowers your team.
