Skip to content

Sharing is Caring – So Share Your Idea!

One of the biggest mistakes we make in life is convincing ourselves that our ideas are unique and ours alone. We rationalize keeping our ideas to ourselves because we are afraid that others will steal them, or worst—we believe our ideas aren’t good enough. Our ideas are precious, but they aren’t tha

Phil McKinney
Phil McKinney
1 min read
graphic of sharing ideas and why teams are important
Share Ideas

One of the biggest mistakes we make in life is convincing ourselves that our ideas are unique and ours alone. We rationalize keeping our ideas to ourselves because we are afraid that others will steal them, or worst—we believe our ideas aren't good enough.

Our ideas are precious, but they aren't that unique nor that precious. I am amazed at how many people have the same or similar ideas and believe that everyone else is copying their work. Over my career, I’ve seen very few times where someone stole an idea. Don’t let that fear hold you back.

While ideas are the catalyst for innovation, remember that ideas are not innovations. Innovation requires a team to take action on an idea for it to become an innovation.

If your brainchild has merit, you need others to help shape it into something bigger than what you could do by yourself. So go ahead and share your idea.

Sharing your ideas is like giving birth. It's scary and vulnerable in the beginning, but once it's out there, people can and will help nurture and grow it. And just like with a child, the more people who are involved in raising an idea, the better it becomes. So go ahead and share your idea – there's no reason to keep it to yourself.

And most important of all: If you don't birth your ideas by sharing, they'll never come to life. What's the point of having them at all if they're just going to stay in your head?

Be different. Share.

Once you start sharing your ideas, the more ideas you will have. The supply is never-ending!

Ideas are like rabbits. You get one, and you want two. Then you get three, and you're running around trying to protect them.

John Steinbeck

A normal post is ~1,000 words. Anything less than 300 words is what I call a “micro post” (or some would call a “Flash Post”) — a quick encouragement/thought. 

BlogCareerCultureHow ToLeadershipQuotefearideasinnovation teamsharing ideasstealingteam sport

Phil McKinney Twitter

Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.

Comments


Related Posts

Members Public

The Imperfect Pursuit of Balance

Why is finding balance so hard? Pursuing balance requires reflection, prioritization, and embracing imperfection. Discover how to prioritize what's truly important in life and embrace imperfection.

The Imperfect Pursuit of Balance
Members Public

The Myth of Scarcity: The Endless Supply of Ideas

It's time to shift our mindset from win/lose to win/win. The unlimited potential of ideas and innovation allows us all to succeed without taking away from others. The limit to our success is the limitation of our imagination.

The Myth of Scarcity: The Endless Supply of Ideas
Members Public

How to Manage Cognitive Load and Optimize Your Thinking

Did you know your brain can overload like a computer with too many tabs open? This phenomenon, termed 'cognitive load,' can decrease focus, retention, and overall performance.

Image of a brain that overloaded. AI Generated.