Good Ideas Deserve Better

It is an absolutely beautiful June morning at the Allen County Fair. The sun is shining bright and I can hear the morning buzz in the barns above the constant drone of camper generators. As I sit here alone in our group campsite, I am thinking back to conversations last night that are repeats of conversations I've heard over the past 20 years as a 4-H parent and fairgoer. Ironically, my thoughts return to a Patio Pondering I wrote 18 months ago sparked by a Ted Lasso episode.

Last night, like so many nights over the past two decades, I heard several good ideas ranging from new committees to take over a neglected part of the fair to unique perspectives on leadership and community involvement.

Unfortunately, over those same decades I've also heard: "We've tried sharing ideas, even volunteering and getting donations, only to hear words that give the 'we don't need your help' impression."

Those deflections share in common the idea that only worthy ideas come from the inside. You can substitute Executive Team, Troop Committee, CEO's advisors — the deflection sounds the same regardless of the organization.

Rather than deflecting we should hear "tell me more," or "get that on paper for us," or "I'd love to talk about that but don't have time right now, let's connect." Maybe, just maybe those words from my previous essay about Ted Lasso's dart game — "Be curious, not judgmental" — apply well beyond the coach's box or the sales arena.

To the individuals: Don't give up on your ideas. Find that one board member who will be curious. Get a plan to make the "yes" easy.

To the organizations: You see decades-long leadership tenures as a strength. Outsiders see wagons circled around possessiveness and close-mindedness.