If you want good ideas, show appreciation for bad ones

So often people complain that they do not get enough good ideas from subordinates, friends or consultants. Yet, most people have not learned that to ge good ideas you have to show how much you appreciate any ideas. If people give you ideas, which you ignore without explanation, they gradually give you fewer and fewer. This applies even to subordinates or consultants, who are paid to give you ideas.

When you get an idea that you decide not to pursue, you need to thank the originator, explain why you are not accepting it, and best yet, engage in a dialog to make it better. If people are rewarded for ideas, then they will work harder to come up with more.