When your ideas are not received well by others, do your best to not take it personally. When someone in a meeting does that, it can kill the creative process, because at that point the discussion becomes about the person whose feelings are hurt. If you can stop competing and focus your energy on creating, you will open the way for the people around you to take their creativity to the next level.
If you don’t have any personal experience in the publishing world, then I’m guessing that you believe authors always select the titles of their books. While that may be the way it works for some authors, it has not been the case for me. I’ve written more than forty books, yet I think I’ve selected the titles for about a dozen of them.
A book is a pretty personal thing for an author. Why would I allow someone else to pick the title? Because I know my ideas aren’t always the best ideas. I often think they are, but when everyone in the room has a different opinion, it pays to listen. That’s why I’ve adopted the attitude that the company owner doesn’t need to win – the best idea does.
Be passionate about your work and have the integrity to stand up for your ideas. Without passion, you will not be taken seriously. When principle is involved, don’t budge. Most matters, though, involve taste or opinion, not principle. In these areas recognize that you can compromise. If you become someone who can never compromise, you will forfeit opportunities to those who can.
[The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization (2011) by John C. Maxwell. Published by Thomas Nelson]
Let the best ideas win to help the organization move forward.
THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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