Want your ideas to stick? Do these two things.
How can an ancient Chinese Idea about not clutching onto your Ideas improve the chances of one of your Ideas actually working out?
The principal of wu wei (woo way or oo way) has multiple connotations, but its most useful interpretation for our leadership purposes is to not to grip too tightly our ‘brilliant’ notions. Recognizing that none of us permanently owns our own thoughts helps to moderate our pride of ownership.
Accepting our exciting Idea as being a kind of blessed arrival of new energy, to do good works with if we are able, but not to press into an image of our selves, is wise, and it calls for two approaches.
The first is to test our Idea. The Idea treated as hypothesis, to be put forth into the world to see if it sticks, where it sticks, how it sticks, is the scientific equivalent of setting our Idea free into the world. The second is to overcome the natural desire to own it and instead expose its incomplete and not yet validated form to those who have chosen to follow you. Let them mold it with you; welcome them to become the co-hosts of it.
No matter the high level position you hold, and the title that affords you more organizational power than others to put forth your Ideas, you are but one source of Ideas in your organization. The example you set for how freely you treat the creative notions that land in your imagination as share-able will be contagious. It is your imagination multiplier. Now there’s an Idea.
