As I was settling in at my favorite coffee-bakery shop this morning I overheard the following exchange: ‘Do you have any good ideas that can help us?’ There was a pause, followed by: ‘I’ve given you all of my good ideas; I am stuck.’
I held onto this brief exchange as I ordered my coffee and bagel (today: Hazelnut Coffee and a Cinnamon Bagel with Honey-Walnut Cream Cheese). As I ate, drank and savored my fare I found myself reflecting upon the exchange.
As an educator and thought-partner I cannot begin to count the number of times I heard this: ‘I don’t have any good ideas’ or this, ‘I am not very creative; I can’t seem to generate any good ideas.’
Given the person and the context I have replied with a question: ‘Do you have any bad ideas?’
More than 55 years ago I learned the value of generating ‘Bad Ideas.’ My English Teacher, Mr. Schneider, had assigned a ‘creative writing’ challenge. I was stuck; I had no ‘good ideas.’ I communicated this to Mr. Schneider. He then gave me a gift when he asked: ‘Richard, do you have any bad ideas?’
With his guidance I learned the value of generating a plethora of ‘Bad Ideas.’ In 1988 I listened to a Buckminster Fuller interview that was recorded a year before he died (he died in 1983). During the interview he was asked how he was able to generate so many great ideas. He said that it was quite easy to do. First of all, he noted, one must generate 100 bad ideas each day and then once in a while a good idea would emerge.
After I listened to this interview I decided to practice generating ‘Bad Ideas.’ At the time I was blessed with two people in my life that would take the time to listen to all of the ideas I was generating. Each of these people ‘rated’ each of my ideas on a scale from: ‘That’s an Idea!’ (the adjective ‘Bad’ was not used) to ‘That’s a Brilliant Idea!’ We would laugh a lot as I shared my ideas and as they rated them. I was then able to spend time with the ‘Good,’ ‘Great’ and ‘Brilliant’ ideas.
Discerning ‘Good Ideas’ is surprisingly easy once one develops the capacity to emerge ‘Bad Ideas.’ I still believe that all of the ‘creative-self-help’ books are not going to help if one is not willing to generate ‘Bad’ (lousy, lame, stupid) ideas. I have yet to meet a creative person that does not generate hundreds, if not thousands, of ‘Bad Ideas’ prior to discerning and embracing the ‘Good Idea’ that finally reveals itself.
Gentle reader, if you want to develop your capacity for creativity I invite you to consider taking the time each day to generate a few dozen ‘Bad Ideas.’ Engage in this process over time and I believe you will discover that a few ‘Good Ideas’ will emerge into your consciousness.
I am now thinking of the Doorman at the Marriott in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Phil Adleman, who – many years ago – would, each day, generate and offer to Senior Management seven ideas. More often than not one of the seven would be developed and many of those would be implemented.
I leave us, this morning, with the words of a Canadian businessman, Craig Bruce: ‘Nothing surpasses the beauty and elegance of a bad idea.’