Have you ever come up with a great idea? Were you certain that its implementation was simple / obvious / necessary and the results would bring glory, success, satisfaction and whatever else? And have you also found yourself putting that great idea in a drawer, not believing, just not believing that you were doing it? Because it really was a great idea?

Perhaps you didn't know that you needed to defend it or didn't know how to do it.

I know now.

Before you start reading, make yourself some coffee, because you know...

Ready? (This is important and the Authors write about it several times: nothing replaces good, thorough preparation).

I invite you then to read a certain book.

Under the company Christmas tree, Santa from Everbe (Everbe helps create positive experiences for companies and their employees) left me a book by John P. Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead "Great Ideas. How to effectively present them and defend them against destructive criticism" (original title: "Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down").

The book was published in 2012 by Helion Publishing House, it is nicely translated by Olga Kwiecień-Maniewska. It reads well and pleasantly, the examples are taken from life and analyzed also at a higher level of abstraction, so it's very easy to imagine them in any personal situation, whether personal or business. What was important to me: the authors clearly stated in the preface what I should expect (description of one method) and what not to expect (analysis of all communication, persuasion and manipulation tools). The promise was fulfilled in Part I, where the authors present the story of a certain let's call it Really Good Idea and various critical remarks that can be invented to make the Really Good Idea end up in the hated drawer and what was done to save the idea.

I admit that the creativity of the critics particularly caught my attention. After presenting several doubts, I eagerly awaited the next attack and increasingly seriously wondered how else one could torpedo a Really Good Idea.
It turns out you can, and in many different ways - here it was expressed in 24 various remarks, questions and comments. The book's authors grouped them all into 4 basic patterns: fear-mongering, delay, confusion and ridicule.

Seemingly simple, but how easy it is in the fervor of enthusiasm and with the mind's eye already seeing the success of a Really Good Idea, to underestimate the potential threat expressed by some Przemysław Know-it-all or some Zofia Conservative (these are just two characters that serve the authors to form attacks on the Really Good Idea).
I'll admit to one more thing: I haven't been a frequent reader of self-help books until now, but perhaps I'll change that this year.
This could be a Really Good Idea, as long as I don't create fear in myself
(after all, I have a lot of work, if I start reading so many books, will I manage to do other things?),
don't start delaying (after all, I have so much work, reading books is probably not such a good idea),
don't introduce confusion (what about the text I was supposed to write, the presentation I started back in December and the new website that is now most important?) and don't ridicule it myself (no, come on, do you really want to read these self-help books?).

Reach for "Great Ideas" by Kotter and Whitehead.
I can lend it (although... lending books you like is not a great idea in itself).