Seeing possibilities when others won’t.
Photo by Nancy Ray
If you're the first to always throw cold water on ideas — either yours or those belonging to others — it's time to stop and ask yourself why.
I don't advocate giving false praise or telling everyone their idea is fantastic when it's not. There is, however, a serious difference between giving warranted, beneficial feedback that someone may not want to hear and shutting down an idea before it even has a chance to start.
Being a critical thinker and having a critical spirit are two different things. The first requires an open mind, the second refuses one.
Getting into a pattern of throwing ideas out before listening to or examining them is toxic. Creating a habit of keeping an open mind is something that the best leaders and the most creative artists have in common.
Originally published June 2012
