Use Your Shield

It's time for some creative inspiration from the Creative Whack Pack. Ready? Let's reach for a card. It’s number 58, “Use Your Shield.” Let's take a closer look.

New ideas can be threatening, and they often provoke a negative reaction.

For example, when the composer Igor Stravinsky first presented his Rite of Spring ballet with its unusual harmonies and primitive rhythms, he was met with a rioting audience.

When Johannes Kepler correctly solved the orbital problem of the planets by using ellipses rather than circles, he was denounced.

When the nineteenth-century Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweiss suggested to his fellow doctors that they could reduce disease by washing their hands in chlorinated lime water before inspecting their patients, he was ridiculed by his colleagues who strongly resented the idea that they were "carrying around death on their hands."

Be prepared for such a reaction and don't let it prevent you from acting. As German statesman Konrad Adenauer put it, "A thick skin is a gift from God." How strong is your shield?

I've found that when I've embarked on some of the more interesting endeavors in my career — from going into business for myself to self-publishing my first book, from buying a new house during a recession to creating a new manipulative toy business — there have been more than a few people who told me such things as:

• “You're leaving IBM to do what?”
• “What does ancient history have to do with anything?”
• “Where’s the market for that?”
• “I don't think anyone would pay money for that.”
• “Why would an adult want to play with plastic blocks?”

Criticism is vital to the creative process. Having people disagree with you helps you hone your ideas. Indeed, ideas are much stronger when they've been tempered by opposing viewpoints.

But once you're convinced that your idea is worth doing and you've committed yourself to implementing it, such negativity can be a burden to your performance. People are going to take their shots: you need to have a strong shield to deflect criticism. If you let every nay-sayer prevent you from moving forward, you'll never reach your objective.

Think of an idea you're currently trying to get into action. What negative reaction do you expect? How can you protect yourself from it? How well do you deal with criticism? What types of shield do you use?           

Comments

[ann michael]

Roger - you read my mind!

When I was writing my "Manage To Change Manifesto" this was one of the points that I had a hard time articulating in 25 words or less - generally first reactions are negative.

Interestingly, "using your shield" is one side of a two sided coin. The other side is being aware of your own negative reactions and fighting them long enough to truly consider something with an open mind before you either 1) offer someone else feedback from which they might want to shield themselves or 2) miss feedback on your own ideas that are worth considering to refine your approach.

Thanks Roger - always love reading what you have to say!!!

[David Armano]

What's the opposite of using your shield? Using your sword. But what do we learn if we only "counter attack" vs. deflecting? We learn how to take wounds and return them. Using our shield helps us absorb the blows—it buys us time to think, consider and make our next move all that much smarter and dare I say, more creative?

Roger, this card is one of my favorites. I've had to use my shield a lot in the past year as I came out if nowhere and I sometimes challenge the status quo. I've learned first hand to take arrows without letting the projectiles stop my momentum. I've allowed feedback and criticism to give me pause to reflect, without taking away the will to move forward or move on without bitterness. Only a shield can accomplish that. Without one, we are stopped dead in our tracks.

And there is a time for the sword too. For the warrior as well—just as there is a time to seek understanding.

[Roger von Oech]

Ann: You make a good point about fighting off OUR OWN negative reactions. One thing I like to do whenever I see an unusal new idea is force myself to WAIT 60 SECONDS before saying critical about the new idea. This allows me to create a context where the idea might make some sense.

David: You make a good point about "counter-attacking" versus "deflecting." Sometimes the latter is the more necessary strategy to moving ahead, while the former can be energy and time consuming.

[Wendy]

For me the opposite of a shield is an open and enlivened heart. When I feel the passion of my idea and trust the strength of my commitment, that powerful heart creates a force field that repels judgment and idea killers. The focus is less on my potential or real attackers and whether I need to protect myself or slay them. My attention is on the richness of my idea. My intention is to give birth to this project. This provides the energy to diffuse criticism and paves the way for my good idea to flourish.

[Roger von Oech]

Wendy: Thanks for your comment. So for you, an open heart creates a force field that repels negative judgment and gratuitous criticism. That's a pretty nifty shield!