I recently saw a creative idea eliminated. Like a professional hit, it was silent and non-attributable. Managers essentially neutralized the employee—let’s call him Matt. I’m confident Matt will never make another suggestion, much less offer another game-changing idea.
Idea rejection in bureaucracies is often a clueless crime scene. There are no fingerprints because no one says, “No.” Managers and co-workers use passive-aggressive put-downs, grimaces, or admonishments like: “We tried it before” or “We’re doing fine as it is.”
In this case, like hyenas circling a fresh kill, several managers ganged up to ravage Matt’s idea—probably because it was a bit provocative and none of the managers had time to implement it.
Here is the gauntlet they forced him to run:
- Appear before a panel of those same managers to brief the idea. (None of the managers offered positive responses or encouragement during or after the brief.)
- The panel reassigned Matt to a new location to work on the idea.
- They required him to report to another manager who was not known for innovative receptiveness.
- They advised Matt to stop talking to outsiders (other employees) about the idea.
- They required that he write a detailed execution plan.
- Then, he had to work up a detailed budget.
- He had to coordinate with legal.
- Finally, Matt had to go on a roadshow to formally brief everyone who might be affected.
Of course, big ideas that impact multiple units need to be vetted, but in this case, the employee had to do it all himself, with no top cover or buy-in. In effect, the managers forced the idea through the organizational meat grinder to polish, pulverize, and contort it until it became a minor adjustment to the status quo—the perfect way to anonymously choke innovation.
It worked. The exhausted employee abandoned his treasured idea, and news of the gauntlet sent a clear signal to other employees not to come up with any pesky new ideas or potentially game-changing problem solutions.
What stops innovation?
A CIA Director once asked me, “Mike, why aren’t my employees being more creative?”
Then, he added, “I’ve told them I wanted more innovation.”
Like most organizational leaders, he tried to logically sell a cultural and motivational message to be more innovative. In most cases, that doesn’t stick because our minds don’t work that way. Principles, values, and fears outweigh logic.
If I could replay the conversation and answer him today, I would mention three powerful idea-killing forces that hinder innovation and will stop a CIA Director – and every other leader – from unleashing change:
- Survival instinct (Human nature)
- Cultural rigidity (Organizational nature)
- Weak Leadership
Superior leadership reduces psychological fear and allows appropriate risk-taking, which boosts motivation and innovation.
© Mike Mears 2025. Used with the author's kind permission.
