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This rule is really simple. Don't panic no matter what the situation. Most people make really awful decisions when they're panicking, then use that as an excuse for why they did what they did. Or worse, one bad decision leads to another and so on. Think of the movie "A Simple Plan" with Billy Bob Thorton and Bill Paxton¹.

You might be surprised how little time it actually takes to come up with a better solution if you're predetermined to not panic in the first place.

1) If you haven't seen this movie, you really should. It's a great example of what I'm talking about here.

It never fails. You come up with a completely and utterly innovative idea for a start-up or a product - something you know nobody has ever done before. You pitch it to a couple of folks you trust, and know will "get it." They love it. They encourage you to pursue it. Now you're really fired up.

You dig in and start doing some real work, the ideas are flowing. Then your buddy emails you some link about a thing that is just like the thing you're working on. Before you know it, similar things start coming out of the woodwork. Even you're mom's sending you stuff. Now, you're really depressed.

Quitting, and cutting your losses may seem like a good idea. Or you could suck it up, and accept that others will have the same idea as you did, no matter how novel you thought it was. In fact, it's better if your idea isn't so new that no one else is doing anything like it. Having someone go before you can make your job easier. Besides, most first-to-market players are better at creating demand than fulfilling it. Learn from their mistakes and missteps. Then differentiate yourself by going after other solutions, market segments or strategies they're neglecting.

If you worry too much about being first, you'll just get nowhere sooner.

The problem with people who buy into their own BS is that they think everyone else does too. You can't assume that because you have a great idea and a solid plan that everything else will fall into place. Things will go wrong.

When you believe your own hype, you're not just arrogant, you're lying to yourself and others. This leads to risky assumptions which will derail your efforts sooner or later. Don't think you'll just outsmart a problem by stating that it doesn't matter. Instead, maintain a healthy level of skepticism and cynicism in your own abilities, so you can be prepared when the unpredictable and unanticipated come up.

Unfortunately, it usually takes a seriously humbling experience to fix this behavior. The good news is if you're still standing when it's over, you'll probably be much better off in the long run.

Who cares if everyone loves your idea if they hate the execution? You should be skeptical if all you get is positive feedback when pitching a concept. The words are still fluid and fuzzy, conforming to preconceptions people already have in their head. No matter how articulate you are, the only way to know if you're heading in the right direction is to uncover what people think of the implementation, not the idea.

Get your ideas out into the open where they can draw fire, i.e. criticism. Otherwise, they'll just sit in your head, perfect, but untested. Synthesize your idea, take it from the immaterial to the tangible. Provide something people can see, touch, and talk about. Go ugly early. Make rough sketches, draw on a white board, cobble together some screenshots in Photoshop. Do whatever you can, as quickly as you can. Don't wait for the perfect representation.

Count on missing the mark, but that's the point. You need to establish right away that constructive criticism isn't just welcome, it's expected.

Uncovering the "why not" will reveal a lot of things you need to know when developing a new idea or concept. Innovators should seek, not avoid, criticism and opinions even when it's not what you want to hear. Encourage people to push back and challenge your assumptions. Otherwise you may find out later, you had a good idea, but you were working on the wrong problems.

Objections expose things like past experiences, attitudes, and perceptions. These can be challenges you've overlooked or didn't consider.

When you court objections, don't settle for generic excuses like "it'll never work", or "we've tried that before". Probe deeper, get more details, ask for anecdotes and examples. Challenge their assumptions too.

If you're dealing with a naysayer, just let them spew. Resist the urge to counter objections in real time. It'll only feel like an argument. Revisit your idea with them later, and show them how you would resolve their objections. Don't go looking for a fight. Just consider it research or a "reverse brainstorm".

Some people are just incessantly negative. They use outlier cases and fringe scenarios as an excuse to not do anything. Make them accountable by showing you're willing to address problems while they're just talking about them.

This approach takes some getting used to. After all, it can be demoralizing to hear people rattle off a litany of reasons why your idea won't work. But that's only if you let it. Keep in mind, objections are just problems that need to be solved.

If you aren't suffering from innovation fatigue, you're either not paying attention, or you're one of those people who says things like, "adding numerals to our alphabet soup is just the kind of innovation our customers have come to expect from us."

Business Week's Bruce Nussbaum does a great job connecting the dots between design and innovation. But he's one of the worst perpetrators. Sometimes he's downright cartoonish with his "The answer is innovation! Now what was the question?" mantra.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining. I get exaggeration in marketing and why people do it. Maybe they're just polishing some turd by using the word. After all, it's so positive, almost unassailable. They hope people will think their idea is new, cutting edge, and fresh, even if it isn't?

Innovation is more than just doing something new for the sake of being new. You've got to provide or do something people actually care about. And that's a moving target. Value is always going to be relative to where the market is, where it's going, and where it has been.

What you claim to be an innovation, or innovative says a lot about you. So you're serious about being taken seriously as an innovator show some restraint. Eventually you'll encounter people you need to impress or persuade. It could be a potential investor, partner, or customer. And if they have a keen BS detector you'll look pretty foolish banging the drum for something trivial. Avoid the trap of lazy thinking, and don't overuse words devoid of context. Not everything has to be "innovative" to be an innovation.

I originally called this post "the 10 Commandments of Innovation", but it wasn't sitting well with me. First, only the most self-absorbed gurus say these kinds of things and second I prefer something less strict. It's not like anyone will face damnation for not listening to me.

So for now, let's just say rule(s) of thumb. Here are some to get started. I'll be adding more as individual entries.

• Don't use the word "innovation" in vane
• Court objections
• Draw fire
• Don't believe your own hype
• Accept others will have the same idea as you
• Don't panic
• Collaborate
• Stick to your vision, adapt your plans
• Get it wrong before you get it right
• Don't be afraid to quit