Hi Reader!
I hope your early September has gone swimmingly so far.
I find myself often brimming with ideas this time of the year — it may be the new chill in the air or the fresh start that comes along with a new school year. I love sharing my ideas and creating an open, safe space for other people to share theirs in the workplace or the classroom, but a friend just reminded me of a previous boss of ours who would immediately (and weirdly angrily) shoot down any ideas we'd suggest — especially over email. (It was a weird pattern. She was the person who told me I must NEVER email anything to this person unless it was absolutely necessary.)
Most managers aren't quite so closed off (or maybe psychotic is a better word) from hearing ideas from their employees, but a lot of people don't feel like their ideas get a fair shake from the boss. Here are a few ideas for having your ideas better received, heard and implemented:
1. Re-examine (and if need be, reframe) the idea. Does it clearly align with your business’ objectives and goals – especially the ones your boss has articulated as the main objectives and goals? If you aren’t sure, look up those goals as a refresher and figure out how your idea supports (or does not) support them. The next time you suggest your idea, note how it directly helps achieve one of your objectives or goals.
2. Make the benefits clear. Does the idea make work more efficient for a majority of your colleagues (and hence, a better place to work)? Next time you pitch the idea, say exactly why implementing the idea would do that and better yet, talk about how the idea will also do one or more of the following:
☑ Make your organization more profitable/encourage more donations
☑ Attract more customers or build your brand
☑ Achieve other goals of your business (productivity, engagement, etc.)
Sometimes managers see an individual employee contributing an idea as doing so out of selfishness – making their own work easier, for example – than making the product or process better for the customers or the bottom line. That’s not fair, but if you can demonstrate how the idea is a benefit to others, you’ll show up front that the idea isn't self-serving.
3. Defer to your manager's preferred way to hear ideas (not yours). Does your boss love one-off, off-the-cuff conversations? Casually suggest your idea during one of those conversations, and then follow up in a friendly email with more details about it later (again, connect it to your organization’s business objectives and share the holistic benefits of your idea). Maybe your manager is more of a memo or brief reader, and if so, create a more formal proposal with short subheads (i.e. New Idea, How it Achieves Goals, How it Engages Customers, How it Helps Productivity, How to Implement, Budget Considerations, etc.) and email it at a time they’re definitely going to see it; maybe also send a little heads up message about it on Teams or Slack to make sure it doesn’t get lost in their inbox.
Even after using this more strategic pitching style in your manager's preferred idea communication mode, they still might ignore the idea. Don't give up. Just ask if they have had a chance to review or think about your idea. Mention it at a weekly check-in or another one-on-one meeting. Or if the problem your idea would fix arises again, use the opportunity to mention it.
4. Collaborate and don't create work for other people. I can’t stress this enough: If you have a good idea for how someone else can do their job, propose it in collaboration with that person or their department and offer to help. Creating additional work for colleagues or your manager is no way to get an idea implemented — even a good idea.
I’m not (exactly) saying “stay in your lane” but I am urging you to use the skill of empathy here. If you suggest a new idea for someone's work, they might believe you don't think they're doing a good job now or that you're trying to take over. Listen, be collaborative and if it's a good idea that your manager likes, help your colleagues do the work to implement it.
5. Is it you? Are you someone suggesting new ideas all the time? Like, you just can’t help yourself? More than once a week? On one hand, good job —a gold star to you for always thinking about ideas for making your business and workplace better. ⭐️ On the other, I’d like to make a less kind suggestion: You may be annoying your boss and colleagues. You might be Suggestion Guy/Woman. This isn’t a good title, and it might make them even less likely to listen and more likely to tune out (or roll their eyes), even when you have really amazing ideas that could change everything for the better. If this is the case, then to (kind of) quote Taylor Swift: Hi. You're the problem (it's you).
I know it’s unfair, but here's an idea: Instead of making all the suggestions all the time, keep a database of your ideas. Just put them in a Notes file that you can share between your phone and computer. Let the ideas percolate and blossom over time (or realize they aren't always brilliant ideas and just leave them in the file for another time). Think about how to tie them all to business objectives and remember what I said earlier about the right time, place and format for giving your boss ideas. Space them out to share over time or only when the time is right.
6. Enlist teammates who like your idea to help pitch and implement the idea. This is one of the best ways to get a hesitant manager on board. Yes, there’s power in numbers, but it’s also a great demonstration of how a great idea can motivate people to take action. Shared ownership and implementation of something a team agrees is a good idea is a morale booster. It’s tough for a manager to ignore that.
7. A possibility: The boss doesn't like ideas that aren't his/her/their own. Unfortunately, this is a character trait among a certain set of managers. They’re convinced that they are in charge BECAUSE they are the person with the best ideas – like, would they even be in their position if it weren’t for their own brilliant ideas landing them there?! Many just don’t listen to their employees ideas and/or shoot them down immediately without consideration. The worst ones pass off their employees’ great ideas as their own. Others might also passive-aggressively thank you for your idea, say yes to you fleshing it out in memo form, and then after you've taken the time and effort to do so, ignore and never discuss it again for the rest of time.
I hope this isn’t your situation, but if it is, it may be time to start thinking about what is next for you. When you’re interviewing for the next job, ask your future manager: “How do your employees share new ideas? How do you like to receive them, and what is your favorite new idea from your team the past year?” If they fumble the question or look at you blankly, consider it a warning sign.
Speaking of interviews, I thought this article from Harvard Business Review about "connecting" with your interviewer was awfully smart:
4 Ways to Make a Connection with Your Interviewer by Marlo Lyons
Also good/creepy:
ChatGPT Has a New Feature You'll Love. And That's a Worry (By Rob Brooks, The Conversation)
It's been lovely connecting with you today. Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!
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