Whose Idea Is It?

Let’s get one thing straight: communication isn’t about who speaks first, but about what moves things forward.

If you only “like the tomato” when you pick it yourself, you don’t have a taste problem. You have a communication problem dressed up as “standards.”
Here’s the takeaway: if you judge ideas by origin, you cap your team’s IQ at one person.

Most teams confuse ownership with value. Ideas don’t care about your ego. They either work, or they don’t. This source bias is the silent killer of momentum.

Challenge #1: “I Need to Protect My Vision”​
Cool. Protect the outcome, not your authorship. When you filter ideas by origin instead of merit, you shrink the solution space. Leadership is letting the best idea win — even if it didn’t come from your brain at 2:07 a.m.

Dad Life Parallel:​
My kid eats the tomatoes she picked. Fine. But dinner still needs to happen. So I frame it: “You picked these. Let’s cook them together.” Ownership + contribution = progress.

Challenge #2: “How Do I Accept Ideas Without Looking Weak?”​
Simple: separate recognition from decision. Say what’s true, clearly.
Examples:

• “Good idea from Priya. We’ll test it this sprint.”

• “My plan misses X. Your approach covers it. We’re switching.”

Challenge #3: “What If the Idea Isn’t Fully Baked?”​
Great — bake it together. Use the AEI protocol:

• Attribute: “This came from Marco.”

• Evaluate: “What works: speed, low cost.”

• Integrate: “We’re adopting A and C, parking B for later.”
  That’s how you reward contribution without swallowing risk blind.

Quick Story:​
A PM ignored an intern’s two-line fix, shipped a bug, then adopted the same fix a week later. Cost: three days and credibility. The tomato didn’t change - the source did.

Challenge #4: “How Do I Stop People From Dismissing My Ideas?”​
Model what you want back.
Try this:

• Lead with problem, not pedigree: “We need to cut onboarding time by 30%.”

• Offer the smallest test: “One-page guide. Pilot with two teams.”

• Invite the challenge directly: “What breaks if we do this?”
  When you de-ego your delivery, you disarm theirs.

Challenge #5: “What Does Source-Agnostic Communication Sound Like?”​
Use these scripts:

• “Best idea wins. Whose is irrelevant.”

• “I was wrong. This is better. We’re moving.”

Bad Advice Bonus:​
If your friends or team think consensus means “the boss renames your idea and calls it alignment,” burn that habit. That’s not alignment; that’s appropriation with better lighting.

Practice This Week:

• Ban “my idea/your idea.” Use “Option A/B.”

• In one meeting, enforce AEI: Attribute → Evaluate → Integrate.

• Close with a plain-language decision: “We’re shipping Option B Friday. Owner: Dana.”

Dad Life Parallel:​
If I say, “We might leave soon,” we leave never. If I say, “Shoes on — we’re out in two,” doors open.

Clarity beats comfort. Every time.

Final Word:​
Communication isn’t a mirror; it’s a megaphone for what matters. Stop needing to be the picker to value the tomato. Attribute, evaluate, integrate — then move.

“Be so fair with ideas that the best one always survives.” — Me, just now.