It’s easy to bash things that are new or unconventional. It’s easy to say someone is wrong when it’s a new perspective. It doesn’t take a lot of guts to challenge the unique idea from the intern. It’s not hard to say something won’t work if it has never been done before.

Taking the safe side of a controversial position is easy. It’s easy because you can’t lose. If the idea or innovation fails your were right. If it is successful, no one else saw it either and so your not faulted for being wrong. We reward the naysayers.

If you want more innovation in your organization, stop rewarding the critics and start rewarding innovators, they are the ones taking the risk. Make it harder to be a critic and easier to be an innovator.

Don’t reward the naysayers.