Overcome one of the most potent innovation barriers by resolving this common fear
You’re a leader who wants ideas. You’ve done the Courageous Cultures work to build a workplace that encourages everyone to speak up, identify problems, and offer solutions. Everyone knows where you need ideas. You intentionally ask for solutions where you most need them. And when someone speaks up, you respond with regard. But despite that significant work, you still face hidden innovation barriers.
So… why is your team still holding back?
One of the most common innovation barriers you might overlook isn’t about people’s fear of rejection or thinking their idea won’t be good enough.
It’s their fear of overwhelm: “If I make a suggestion… I’ll just end up with more work.”
And so that person stays silent because they feel that if they speak up, they’re going to be punished with more work on top of what they already have.
In fact, in our Courageous Cultures leadership development programs and keynotes, this concern about “an idea just means more work” is the most common question we hear.
This unspoken fear paralyzes initiative and strangles creativity. But when you surface and address this fear head-on, you’ll get more problem solving, innovation, and better ideas.
5 Ways to Overcome One of the Most Common of Innovation Barriers: Alleviate the Fear of More Work
To alleviate the fear of overwhelm and break the belief that “you suggest it, you own it,” focus on transparency, eliminating tasks, sharing the load, and managing priorities. Here are five ways to do this:
1. Respond with Regard—and with Reality
Let’s start with how you respond to an idea. If you consistently Respond with Regard, you know the value of meeting ideas with:
- Gratitude for their caring
- Adding information
- Inviting them to continue caring and contributing
But responding with regard doesn’t mean blind enthusiasm for every idea you hear.
When someone shares an idea, appreciate that they cared enough to try—and also explore it honestly. Over-enthusiastic responses minimize the work and tradeoffs involved. You might leave your team member with the mistaken belief that you loved their idea—with no awareness of just how much work it would take.
So, either the idea languishes and they resent your inaction or the idea ends up back in the person’s lap who suggested it—and they resent the work and overwhelm.
Instead, bring transparency to the conversation. Here are some Powerful Phrases to try:
- “Thank you for thinking about how we can… That’s fresh angle! Let’s talk through what it would take to make it work.”
- “That’s an intriguing concept. What do you see as the biggest lift if we were to move forward?”
- “Before we jump into action, let’s unpack what implementing this would involve.”
Discussion Prompt for Your Team:
“What’s something we’ve said ‘yes’ to in the past that could have used more upfront discussion?”
2. Own the U.G.L.Y.—What’s Got to Go?
Innovation isn’t additive—it’s adaptive. If you always layer on new ideas without removing anything, your team will understandably resist. Your people are thinking, “Sure, love that idea. But what are we taking off my plate?”
Create space for innovation by making the trade-offs visible. When you explore opportunities and challenges, use our Own the U.G.L.Y. method. These four questions will help you find places to make room and directly overcome the fear-based innovation barriers:
U—What are we Underestimating?
G—What’s got to Go?
L—Where are we Losing?
Y—Where are we missing the Yes?
All four questions will help, but the G question will guide your team’s focus on what they can eliminate to make room for new ideas.
Here are some more Powerful Phrases to try as you focus on making room:
- “What would we need to stop doing or do differently to make room for this?”
- “If we say yes to this, what’s the ‘no’ that comes with it?”
- “Where can we simplify to find the time and attention this needs?”
Discussion Prompt for Your Team:
“If we were to seriously pursue this innovation, what would we not do?”
3. Have the Stakeholder Conversation—Who’s Best to Lead This?
You don’t want great ideas to die because the originator isn’t the best implementer or because the best person to do the work isn’t available.
Instead, have a conversation about who could own the task. Who might have enthusiasm? Who has the skill set? When you follow up on quality ideas with these questions, you make it safe for people to contribute ideas without fearing full ownership.
Powerful Phrases to Try:
- “That’s a strong concept. Who else might be a good partner or owner for this?”
- “Would you be open to collaborating on this with someone who has this skill set and capacity?”
- “Who’s best positioned to champion this idea—based on skills, interest, and availability?”
Discussion Prompt for Your Team:
“What norms do we want around idea ownership and implementation? What feels fair?”
4. Schedule the Finish—Don’t Leave Ideas Hanging
You have a worthwhile idea, have transparently discussed the work, who will do it, and what to eliminate.
But the absence of clear next steps will stall progress. People wonder, “Was that just a brainstorming session? Is someone going to follow up?” Worse, the idea fizzles in ambiguity, feeding cynicism and the belief that “if I don’t do it, nothing changes.” And then you’re right back to struggling with this innovation barrier.
Instead, Schedule the Finish to move from conversation to commitment.
You schedule the finish by discussing a specific finish line while considering competing priorities. And yes, you can schedule the finish even if the next step is simply “decide later.”
Here are Powerful Phrases you can use to invest in commitment and follow through:
- “What’s one action we can both agree to as a next step?”
- “Let’s schedule fifteen minutes in three weeks to discuss how it went and what you learned.”
- “So to recap, we’ll explore feasibility this month, then regroup by [date]. Is that your understanding?”
Discussion Prompt for Your Team:
“How can we build in time to follow-up on ideas we liked but can’t act on yet?”
5. A Strategy to Help Your Idea Grenadiers
When you face someone who’s constantly lobbing ideas and expecting you to do something with them, you might want to hand them the work in order to cool their enthusiasm. But we don’t recommend you do that. You’ll create resentment and reinforce that feeling that ideas mean more work.
Instead, you can help your “Idea Grenadiers” by giving them a specific framework to vet their ideas and think through the implications before bringing them to you. Give them the I.D.E.A. Model framework and ask them to answer these questions when they bring you their ideas:
I—Why is this idea Interesting?
How is the idea strategically relevant? What problem does it solve?
D—How is this idea Doable?
Demonstrate how we have agency to take action.
E—Who do we need to Engage to make this happen?
Who will resist the idea? How have you addressed their concerns? Who else needs to support the idea to make it happen?
A—What are the one or two specific next steps to take Action?
Help your idea grenadiers by using an advanced Respond with Regard:
- Start with appreciation
- When you add information, share the challenge of being overwhelmed with ideas, then give them the I.D.E.A. model.
- Invite them to continue contributing ideas by using the I.D.E.A. model
Finally, practice accountability. When your idea grenadier follows through with the I.D.E.A. model, thank them and reinforce the difference it makes. When they try to share an idea without the model, you can reinforce the model by saying, “I’d love to hear more when you’ve run in through the IDEA model.”
Your Turn
People want to make a difference—but they also want a manageable workload. When you acknowledge the invisible fear of being buried in extra work, you remove one of the critical hidden innovation barriers.
And if you’d like help to build a courageous culture—an organization filled with problem solvers, innovators, and customer advocates—we can help. You can learn more here:
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