In last week’s blog post we looked at the role personal bias can often play in creating a default attitude of skepticism. A leader with a negative bias over a certain topic will be unable to assess it with objective eyes. These biases and negative prior experiences often play a big part of leaders being skeptical of new ideas, whether they’re conscious of the bias or not.

This week we’ll be looking at the issue of leaders being skeptical of any ideas they don’t personally come up with, and look at an approach for overcoming this tendency.

Eliminate the Not-Invented-Here Syndrome

Pride, an unwillingness to trust the judgment of others, or the need to control, are all reasons why leaders may be skeptical of other people’s ideas. The view that only your ideas are worth pursuing is a very limiting belief, not to mention self-deceptive. The best leaders know that they don’t have all the answers – no one does. There are many people out there who are more brilliant than you, and the really great leaders know to learn and grow from them.

People who follow a leader skeptical of all ideas other than their own will soon stop offering ideas and suggestions. Think of the prospects of an organization where new ideas cease to be expressed – it’s not a very promising future, is it? Have you noticed the flow of ideas within you own organization, or even just within your team, slowing down? It could be because you only trust your own ideas, and people have picked up on this.

Al Pittampalli, author of the book, Persuadable: How Great Leaders Change Their Minds To Change The World, describes the evolving view that business culture has of leaders who change their minds. At one time, it was considered a sign of weakness for leaders to change their minds. Now, leaders who change their minds are often admired for adapting to volatile, threatening conditions, and staying ahead of the game. The image of pridefulness is being overshadowed by one of shrewdness.

The best way to overcome skepticism of other people’s ideas is to challenge your own. Establish an open, collaborative culture. Include brainstorming exercises throughout the organization, especially at the top:

• Collects all ideas, without critique;
• Use a weighted grading system to eliminate bias, and score ideas; then
• Sift out the highest scores and trust them.

People will be drawn in, become more engaged, and best of all, the greatest ideas and strategies are found. Sometimes the oddest ideas turn out to be the best.

Accept this: with better ideas from the team, there’s nothing wrong with changing your mind away from your own ideas. In fact, it’s admirable. Shove a prideful position aside, and cleverly make the most effective use of the resources you have. Sounds much better, doesn’t it?

You’ll find that critical, constant skepticism is a debilitating element that will limit you, your staff, and your organization. If you sense that a skeptical outlook has gotten the better of you, choose open mindedness and reap the rewards.

If you’re looking for help eradicating skepticism in your own organization and leadership approach, I’m always happy to be of assistance with personal and corporate coaching. As always, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.

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