An Opinion Series on Innovation: How the Intelligence Community Kills Ideas
JUNE 28TH, 2022 BY MIKE MEARS | 0 COMMENTS
Mike Mears retired as the CIA’s Chief of Human Capital where he founded and headed the CIA Leadership Academy. He is a trainer and leadership consultant to government and private sector organizations. Prior to CIA, Mike was senior vice president at GE investments where he managed private equity funds, was a turnaround specialist, and a Six Sigma Black Belt. Before that, he launched eleven small business start-ups, and was president of a fast-food company. Mike served as commander of a nuclear missile site, a general’s aide, and was decorated for valor as a U.S. Army combat platoon leader in Vietnam.
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OPINION — I recently saw a creative idea killed. Like a professional hit, the kill was silent and non-attributable. Managers essentially neutralized the employee—let’s call him Matt. I’m confident Matt will never make another suggestion, much less offer another game-changing idea, again.
Idea rejection in bureaucracies is often a clueless crime scene. There are no fingerprints because no one says, “No.” Managers and co-workers use passive-aggressive put-downs, grimaces, or admonishments like:
We tried it before.
Don’t rock the boat; be a team player.
It won’t work here; we’re different.
The boss will never buy it.
We have mission to do—no time for this.
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/alternative-perspectives/an-opinion-series-how-the-intelligence-community-kills-ideas?mc_cid=bcaebe8966&mc_eid=1fe7f7d069
