The Power of Positive Thinking
No, I’m not talking about the famous book by Norman Vincent Peale. I’m talking about one of the most powerful tools in the innovation process.
A few weeks ago I described the traits of innovators. One of the four traits I described was positive thinking. Like creative thinking and collaboration, positive thinking doesn’t come naturally to many and must be learned.
Think for a moment about what you do when you hear someone else’s ideas for the first time. Is your immediate reaction to consider the positives, or the negatives? Most react by considering the negatives - “Yes, but…” As a result, many otherwise good ideas get discarded out of hand. It is far better to consider the positives and build upon them first. Even if you totally disagree with the premise of the idea, all ideas have positive and novel aspects which may be of benefit if isolated and enhanced. “Yes, but…” becomes “Yes, and…”
In the Arsenal I posted a guide to evaluating ideas. This tool emphasizes the philosophy ”Positives Come First.” Positives positives positives. Then, consider what makes the idea novel or interesting - what sets it apart from the rest. Advantages and novelty point to the idea’s overall value.
Then, after considering those you can identify negatives or disadvantages. But negatives are what cause many ideas to be discarded out of hand. So we don’t consider negatives without at the same time considering ways to mitigate them.
The result of a ‘P-I-N’ exercise like this is an enhanced idea or solution. It is essential to the execution phase of the innovation process, as it allows facilitated groups to assess and prioritize large numbers of prospective solutions and move to an action plan.
Learn to consider the positives in an idea first, and you’ll get a lot more good ideas implemented.
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