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The First Idiot Principle

2024-09-05

2 minute read

I have a First Idiot Principle. It's simple: never be afraid to be the first idiot in the room.

There are situations in life where someone puts out a call for ideas. For example, someone might ask for opinions in a meeting. If you apply the First Idiot Principle, you would respond to these even if you think you have an idiot idea. One of three things can happen:

  1. No one has a better idea and it isn’t an idiot idea after all.
  2. Folks silently agree with you but were afraid to share because they thought they might look like the idiot. Now that the idea is public they back you up.
  3. It is an idiot idea! And someone else realizes they have a better idea and they feel compelled to share when previously they may have thought they were the one with the idiot idea.

No matter what happens, you get an outcome that’s better than not sharing the idea at all.