The two words that are poison for creativity, innovation and arguably for any aspect of leadership are:

“I know”

They tell the other person that you don’t need to (or want to) know more about the current topic. They indicate that you don’t want to listen any longer. They create a limitation to our listening and learning. As a consequence, they become a limitation to the decisions we make.

Most likely, you don’t know. Most likely, there is a new aspect, a new perspective, a new part to the message. You also may not have heard it from this person – and this person needs the experience of you having heard it from them.

A variation of “I know” comes up when someone suggests an idea, and you think you’ve heard it before. Maybe you really did – but maybe this time there is something different. Maybe the fact that someone else suggests it, makes all the difference.

Sometimes we also say the “I know” not just to indicate that we know something. It can also be a polite way (at least that’s what we tell ourselves) of saying “I’ve heard enough. You can stop talking now”. The reality is, we’ve closed our mind and we’re dismissing the possibility that something new comes our way.

 

Take the Next Step

 

Pay more attention, when “I know” pops into your mind. Don’t let it close your mind.

Next time, the little voice in your head says to you “I know this”, “I’ve heard this before” or anything like this, don’t close your mind. Instead, say something like “What is different about it this time?” Find out more, ask questions, come to it with an open mind.

Don’t allow “I know” to kill the creativity and innovation in your team.