"Genetic Negativity: People who are literally built to find a problem for every solution." - Futurist Jim Carroll
My Innovation Killer list - over at innovationkillers.jimcarroll.com - always gets a lot of respect from audiences and readers, because they know its' true.
I was thinking about it the other day for an upcoming event in the context of challenges faced by a client. I realized, from our discussions, that they are not only beset by the innovation killers - they seemed to be describing some people who are suffering from what I've come to call 'genetic negativity.'
Here's why. They:
- suffer from an automatic "no." People with genetic negativity do not wait to hear the details of a new idea. Their natural response is always to find a reason why it will fail.
- protect the old days like a reflex. For these individuals, doing things the way they have always been done is not just a habit. It is a deep instinct they will defend at all costs.
- use financial uncertainty to freeze. The moment budgets are tight, their immediate reaction is to lock down, stop all forward movement, and cancel new initiatives.
- prefer it's comfort of standing still. They would rather stay in a declining market they already understand than take a risk on a new opportunity they cannot fully predict.
- let the fear of a mistake paralyze them. Their main goal is never to win, but simply to avoid being wrong. This fear completely stops them from ever trying anything new.
- demand perfect clarity before moving forward. They refuse to take action until they know every single detail about the future. Because total certainty is impossible, they never actually start.
- think age equals complete wisdom. They believe that senior leaders automatically have all the answers. Because of this, they completely ignore the fresh insights of younger people on the front lines.
- get stuck in endless testing. Instead of fully launching a successful new idea, they keep it trapped in a loop of small, safe trials. They use continuous testing as an excuse to delay real change.
- actively share their doubt with the team. Their negativity is contagious. They constantly remind everyone around them of past failures, which slowly destroys the team's confidence to try again.
- mistake a lot of meetings for real progress. They spend all their time talking about problems, writing reports, and making excuses. They confuse this frantic activity with actually moving forward.
Take a look around your own organization. Do you see the same thing?
Find an antidote, stat!