"We tried that; It didn't work." (The statement that signals the death of ideas)

Musing for:

“We tried that. It didn’t work.”

This is the statement that made my heart sink.

More than once, I’d be in a conference room with people trying to figure out how to solve a problem. Someone would offer a suggestion, and those responsible for the product would say, “We tried that. It didn’t work.”

Whenever I heard that statement, I knew we needed to shake up the conversation.

There were two reasons.

1️⃣ Very often, the suggestion was broad, with many possible applications. But those who dismissed it had tried only one or two possible variations.

2️⃣ By describing their results as simply, “It didn’t work,” they effectively shut down any possibility of conversation around options.

By saying only “We tried that; it didn’t work,” they were signaling quite clearly that they were no longer open to exploring creative solutions that they might need to implement.

When someone proposes an idea that sounds like something you’ve already tried, rather than dismissing it, consider the following:

1️⃣ Thank them for the suggestion.

2️⃣ Say, “we tried something like that.” Then describe what you actually did, and how you did it.

3️⃣ Describe the actual results that came from the attempt. Don’t just say that it didn’t work, describe what “didn’t work” looked like and how you were able to observe that.

Saying, “We tried that; it didn’t work” essentially shuts down any further discussion and discourages people from offering any input in the future. Sharing the details of your attempt and its results invites collaboration and creativity, opening the door to adjustments and new experiments that may help you find the answer you’re looking for.

If you’re open to exploring new ideas and creative solutions for a challenge you’re facing, let’s talk. Visit https://stevedwire.com/talk to schedule a complimentary conversation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *