Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Being negative to be smart

I have seen this quite a bit recently and it is a trap I have sometimes fallen into. Only when someone pointed it out did I step back and realise what I was doing.

There’s a cultural norm that smart people have an analytical ability to point out potential hurdles. Hence if you want to appear smart, you start by going negative. This norm serves a great purpose in that bad ideas can be debated and debunked. However, it also kills a lot of good ideas as well. On a personal level, this approach can get carried too far, and people get labelled as difficult or having a bad attitude.

Stop yourself from first pointing out what’s wrong in a situation, and make it a habit to jump to what’s right instead. If an idea is simply rotten, say how much you appreciate the thought or effort, and explain why you feel it falls short and how it can be improved.

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