This happened to me at an early stage in my professional life: an executive at Daimler told me what would happen to me when I introduced and pursued new ideas. At first I was devastated about what he said…

Let me start from the beginning. Here’s what had happened: I had recently finished my PhD in physics at Cambridge, got six patents out of my research, then worked for a top management consulting firm, and then I decided to join DaimlerBenz in a management trainee program.

After a few weeks there, I met one of the senior vice presidents at an informal gathering (yes, that’s the executive mentioned above). We started to chat, and eventually he asked me: “Josef, have you ever had an original idea in your life”.

Odd question, right?

Having been more than just a little full of myself, I answered with a resounding “Yes”. He went on: “Josef, then I want you to know that your chances of becoming a manager here are zero”.

Wow!!

I felt pretty deflated in that moment. After a few months of reflecting on this (and having had the opportunity to talk to him about this again), I discovered that in the harsh advice was actually a big kernel of wisdom.

What he meant was this: if you have your own ideas, and you are proud of them, it can be hard to recognize the great ideas of others. Being in love with your own ideas, makes it hard to fall in love with the ideas of others.

As a leader, let others shine with their ideas. Agree? Disagree?

Take the Next Step

Notice how you react to your own ideas and the ideas of your team members. Make an effort to shift your own focus onto the other’s ideas and become a fan of other’s ideas.