Without even knowing it, you might be one of the passionate bull-headed big mouths who keep the best ideas from happening

Do the most passionate advocates keep big ideas from happening? Based on a somewhat random recent conversation Michael had with a police officer, the answer is yes. The conversation started with this inquiry: "What do you think about legalizing prostitution?"

Please note that it was not mission-driven curiosity that prompted the question; we have no interest in legalizing prostitution. Rather it was intended to lead into an informal brainstorming session about better use of public resources. Is law enforcement being spread too thin? Are there more serious crimes that should get greater attention? How can we do more with less? Are you frustrated about chasing some crimes over others? Some countries and a few U.S. states (in addition to Nevada, where prostitution is legal in some areas), have moved toward decriminalizing prostitution because of just these concerns.

As it turned out, the officer was a strong fundamentalist Christian, and his perspective was a righteous one. At one point in his sermon (his response felt like a sermon and certainly not a brainstorm), he said the Bible was explicitly clear, that the Ten Commandments were as black and white as it gets when it comes to what does and doesn't violate God's will.

Our point, of course, is not to question religious beliefs. Instead it is to draw attention to the unshakable perspective of the very good man in blue. For the record, he is a smart, articulate, wonderful guy, a role model, a friend, a great dad, and absolutely not the type of thinker the world needs if we want new ideas.

And if you are a passionate expert involved in something desperately in need of change, you should be concerned, because you may be just like him. And when it comes to innovation, this is not a good thing.

When Zealotry Is a Stumbling Block

We've recently been exploring Conscious Capitalism and Green Innovation. We like the idea that companies can do well (make money) by doing good (help the planet and the people on it). We also like seeing leading companies finally getting rewarded (making more money) by doing things that are good for the world.

But there is trouble in paradise. It seems that often the most vocal advocates for green innovation, health-care innovation, legal-services innovation, and (insert your favorite topic here) are the very zealots most willing to be critical of any movement that might actually make positive change happen.

If you play with any idea that rubs their "expert" sensibility the wrong way, you're given a label they consider negative: a "nonbeliever," "green washer," "liberal," or any number of adjectives that often say more about their fears than the person or company that's trying to think creatively about changing the situation. The opportunity for a brainstorm is trumped by a lecture about the moral, legal, business, or other violations you have unwittingly committed with your ideas. Shame on you.

We've been working on making health care better. So what is the answer to the health-care crisis? We don't know yet, but we do know that the word "crisis" is not what is in question. We see complicated systems that will require many ideas and new business models to fix. We also see courageous people offering compelling solutions—only to be characterized as a liberal or conservative by the very people who claim to want to see change happen. They police every idea looking for a violation rather than a possibility.

Value in Failing

Albert Einstein said, "One should not expect to solve a problem with the same level of intelligence that caused it." If you find yourself getting really angry at the ideas being proposed to make your favorite cause better, we humbly submit that Einstein was talking about you.

Effective innovation requires failing. More specifically, it requires a system that allows ideas to be freely conceived, discussed, improved, tested, improved, validated, and launched. In the best cases, it is intentional and fun; failure is expected, controlled, and celebrated. In the worst cases, it is not allowed to happen; ideas are judged too quickly by the very people who claim they are committed to a better solution.

Let's go back to religion, simply because it is the best way to make the point. In most every religious denomination, there is an orthodox group that thinks the rest of the flock has drifted frighteningly away from the ideals. To them, even when it comes from within their own ranks, most every suggestion of change is considered unorthodox (read "wrong").

May we humbly suggest that unorthodox thinking is often precisely what we need?

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