We all have Bad Ideas sometimes, but this doesn’t mean that we should be afraid to take action.

I have come to realize that taking an idea Forward to the point where you truly know if the idea is a good one– it an important part of learning. In this way, failure can be a very essential part of the process. If you don’t fail on a regular basis, you probably aren’t trying hard enough to move the needle.

The last few weeks, I have been pushing forward a new process at work that will change the way that my team operates. This process was completely rewriting the book on the way that things have been done traditionally at my company, and the ideas and steps that it comprised of came from a combination of my past experience, and the processes that other companies are using.

I realized yesterday afternoon, that a key part of what I was trying to accomplish– is not going to work as expected. Where I was trying to make things more graceful, streamlined, and consistent– my changes were actually going to make things more convoluted, confusing, and wrought with the potential for errors.

The realization that I was trying to fit a round peg (my solution) into a square hole (the problem), was something that initially brought some frustration and resistance. Should I be embarrassed that my original idea wasn’t as good as I had thought? Should I give up and throw in the towel and tell my peers they needed to take the wheel on this project?

Of course not, that is ridiculous. Instead, I should use this as a learning opportunity for myself and my skill-set going forward. I should be willing to let go of my preconceived ideas and address this problem with fresh eyes. I should use my experience learned working on the flawed solution, to come up with something that is a better fit.

All and all, I should be THANKFUL for my bad ideas, and for the wisdom to see that there is often a better way.