How To Reject An Idea

Did you know 35% to 60% of people find it hard to say no to a pressing situation? Saying no to someone is not easy, especially when you have to reject an idea, and that too if it’s a good one. 

There could be many reasons why you’d reject an idea, but why reject a good one?

Maybe you found yourself in a brainstorming session sitting next to someone who just kept throwing out so many crazy thoughts that you wanted to suspend the “no idea is a bad idea” rule, or maybe you were in a leadership role and an employee’s best efforts to come to you with “solutions instead of problems” just kept coming up short. 

We’ve all been in situations where we’ve had to reject bad ideas or when we get way more ideas and solutions than can actually be implemented. Of course, depending on the influx, a majority will have to be turned down, no matter how brilliant!

How to Respond to Bad Ideas

Yes, we want to believe that no idea is a bad idea. But some ideas truly are terrible!

Rejecting ideas, especially rejecting ideas in a leadership role, is difficult.

How you respond to new ideas when they’re first presented dramatically affects the culture of your team. 

People will be watching your reaction (or hearing about it later) and using it to judge whether new ideas are welcome and whether the social environment of your team supports the creativity they already have. Reject too many ideas or reject a promising idea too quickly, and people will stop sharing their brilliance with you.

Natural Bias

Complicating that is the natural bias we all have against creative ideas just for their newness. 

Research reveals that, while we might say we want creative ideas, when new ideas are presented to us, our most common reaction is to judge them negatively simply because they are new. You might unknowingly be rejecting a great idea and joining the ranks of the Xerox executives who rejected the personal computer or the Kodak executives who rejected the digital camera.

That’s why the best way to reject ideas isn’t to reject them. Instead, question the assumptions behind the idea.

Don’t say, “No, that won’t work because…” Instead, ask, “What would have to be true for that to work?” and allow the other person to investigate those assumed truths.

Don’t say, “I don’t agree with that.” Instead, say, “It sounds like your idea is the result of this assumption or perspective, and I’m not sure we know if that assumption is true.”

When you question assumptions, you don’t send the message that ideas aren’t welcome, nor do you succumb to our bias against new ideas. Instead, you invite the other person (or persons) into the process of testing the idea with you. 

If you’re right, and their idea is a bad idea, they’ll come to realize it as they investigate further. And you’re wrong, and their idea is smarter than you, though; you won’t be seen as having squashed their brilliance.

In either case, you’ve sent a message to others that new ideas are indeed welcome but that all ideas are worth testing.

The Impact of Turning Down Ideas

Rejecting an idea has both short and long-term impacts:

• Demotivates the Employees: When people present an idea, they feel confident it’ll work. Some people even have to push themselves to speak up. When these are turned down, it can, at the very least, be very demotivating for them. It’s like humiliation or rejection, which often causes those employees to withdraw from thoughts or expressions in the future.
• Rejection Errors: Turning down a good idea always carries the risk that accepting it may have led to better results than the one that’s being implemented.

How to Reject an Idea the Right Way

The key is to distinguish between an idea and a proposal. A proposal is more like a suggestion. It’s a solid recommendation, which means it can be followed or rejected based on certain criteria.

An idea, on the other hand, is spontaneous. It may be backed by a stimulus or come about randomly. Often, the idea leads to a proposal but is usually presented in a rather unstructured and uninhibited way.

So accept the idea always. But question the assumption behind the proposal. If it fails to meet the criteria or the critique, you’ll have a solid reason for rejecting it this way.

The Way Forward

There’s no such thing as a bad idea; remember that. So, you should always accept ideas, but you may reject proposals. Learn to categorize each.

Then, promote or openly vouch for the winning proposal rather than focusing on rejecting the others.

You should build a positive atmosphere where people feel valued for their thoughts, unlike the other way around.

Don’t say no immediately. Be supportive or at least show concern and listen to their thoughts first. Remember that the way you react to their ideas will be reciprocated by the employees when you present your own. 

Learn to redirect the idea into something positive, thoughtful, and collaborative to make it work for both of you. The employee will feel valued, and you’ll also be able to voice your own concerns without downright rejecting their ideas.

Final Thoughts

The next time you’re presented with a terrible idea, keep your stance. But reject it in such a way that the people still feel good about sharing more with you but also understand why their idea just won’t work.

The best approach is to question its viability and the presenter’s assumptions behind it.

This way, the message that goes across is that new ideas are welcomed here, but they must be put to the test before they’re accepted and put into action.