Rules of Thinking, The

RULE 69

Have stupid ideas

Never underestimate the creative abilities of the people around you. One of the reasons brainstorming works so well is because one person’s daft idea can be the next person’s genius solution. If you don’t voice the daft idea, they’ll never get the chance to convert it into something viable.

My wife and I work as a particularly effective team in this respect. I tend to make somewhat off-the-wall suggestions. Instead of rejecting them out of hand, she reins them back to create something more achievable. My suggestion might be wildly expensive, or time-consuming, or otherwise impractical. She practicalises them.

I’ll give you an example. We were lucky enough to have a stream at the bottom of our garden. The only downside ...