Thoughts taken from the book Sticky Wisdom by WhatIF

1. Greenhousing
Learning Objective: How to grow ideas
From Book called Sticky Wisdom - WhatIF

2. “A new idea is delicate. It
can be killed by a sneer or a
yawn; it can be stabbed to
death by a joke, or worried
to death by a frown on the
right person's brow”Charles Brower

3. “Problems cannot be
solved by thinking within
the framework in which
they were created.” Albert Einstein

4. Is this you?
• You offer an idea, but you are more often told told why it won’t work,
rather than why it will?
• You notice that not all ideas in the business are given a real chance to grow.
• You are so often busy that you don’t have time to discuss other people's
bright ideas
• You hear yourself or others using the phrases like ‘Yes, but...’, We’ve tried
that before..’ or ‘That won’t work because...’
• There are some people in your business you really don’t enjoy sharing your
ideas with.

5. SUN = Suspend + Understand +
Nurture
RAIN = React + Assume + INsist

6. S Suspend
The two-minute pause - every time you hear an idea you practise this drill.
Visualize yourself giving the idea rather than receiving it
Give out positive energy
U
N

7. S
U Understand
Really try to get inside the other person’s head with open questions:
‘Tell me more..’,
‘Let me understand..’
‘What else do you like about your idea...?’
Paraphrase what you think they mean, and check you’ve got it right:
‘So are you saying that...’
N

8. S
U
N Nurture
Make it better by ‘building’: So if you think X, maybe we could X and Y
Seek value/find an angle ‘What’s the big idea behind this idea.’
Find alternatives: ‘How else could we do this?

9. ☺
Suspend React
☹
The two-minute pause - every time you hear an React quickly with a view of your own
S R
idea you practise this drill.
Remain in opposition; your focus is on your own
Visualize yourself giving the idea rather than arguments
receiving it
Just do the above, and the negative energy will take
Give out positive energy care of the itself.
Understand Assume
Really try to get inside the other person’s head Keep thinking of your own agenda
U A
with open questions: ‘Tell me more..’, ‘Let me
understand..’ Assume you know: ‘I think..’ ‘I know that..’ ‘I only
‘What else do you like about your idea...?’ meant...’
Paraphrase what you think they mean, and check Listen in order to pick holes in their argument/
you’ve got it right: idea
‘So are you saying that...’
Nurture INsist
Make it better by ‘building’: So if you think X, Find a fault or ‘knock’: ‘That will never work’
N IN
maybe we could X and Y
Find another flaw in the idea in the idea and insist
Seek value/find an angle ‘What’s the big idea you’re right. ‘ I know that won’t work, we’ve tried
behind this idea.’ it before.’
Find alternatives: ‘How else could we do this? Insist that there is only one way to do it.

10. “There is a microscopically
fine line between being
brilliantly creative and acting
like the most gigantic idiot on
earth. So what the hell,
Leap!”Cynthia Heimel

11. “The greatest mistake
you can make in life is
to be continually fearing
you will make one.” Albert G Hubbard

12. “People cannot discover
new oceans until they
have the courage to
lose sight of the shore.”
ANON

13. “Rules are for people
who aren’t willing to
invent their own.” Chunk Yeager