How to Kill Creativity With One Simple Phrase: They Already Have That

by Andrew Hanelly on May 26, 2011

Every day, this four-word phrase murders innocent ideas before they had a chance to grow up.

It suffocates its victims with a blanket of negativity. It is the leading killer of creativity. It runs rampant in the offices and minds of people in those offices.

And it needs to be put behind bars, never to see the light of day – or the whiteboard in your conference room – again.

Why? Because it’s a cop out. Because it’s too hasty. Because it’s the kind of thinking which stifles imagination, squelches innovation, and puts potential to sleep…forever.

Besides, we usually don’t “already have that.” 

They already had WebCrawler before Google came along.

They already had MySpace when Facebook came along.

They already had Dial-up before they had broadband.

They already had quill pens before they had ballpoint pens.

They already had fans when air conditioning came along.

Over time, we’ve learned that there is plenty of room for ideas that make things better.

Thankfully, our killer phrase (“They already have that”) didn’t get into the psyches of the inventors of those great things, and in turn, we saw improvement. We saw our world get smarter, stronger, and more comfortable.

They proved that we didn’t already have that.

It’s amazing what happens when we focus on being the best instead of being the first.

And it’s amazing what can happen when we put “doubt” behind bars.

[image: tandemracer]

What else did they “already have” before something better came along?

Andrew Hanelly

Written by: Andrew Hanelly

Andrew is SVP, Strategy at McMurry/TMG and for one semester in college, was a sociology major. Follow him on Twitter and Google+.

  • http://flybluekite.com Laura Click

    Good stuff. There’s a saying that goes, if Henry Ford asked people what they wanted, they would have said “faster horses”.

    You have to listen to the market, but be willing to innovate and find ways to make something better or do something completely different. Sometimes, we have to just quit asking questions and start doing.

    • http://www.twitter.com/hanelly Andrew Hanelly

      Laura – I love that! I had never heard that Henry Ford quote but it’s brilliant. Do you want faster horses or a whole new way to get around? Great comment. Thanks for dropping by!

  • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ Davina K. Brewer

    I got another one to add: “We already tried that. Once.”

    Hard to suppress my eyeroll when I hear it. It’s yet another cop-out along with not knowing (research), not testing (developing), and so many more. It’s going to take time and money and WORK to get a payday.

    Here’s another.. is necessity still the parent of invention? At times yes, things are playing catchup to what we want but today the inventions are also changing the game, calling the shots. Cell phones went from luxury, to want, to need, then went and got smart therefore changed how many people work. There was no ‘niche’ or need for a tablet, folks already had smartphones, laptops, desktops.. and Apple laughs on its way to the bank. FWIW.

    • http://www.twitter.com/hanelly Andrew Hanelly

      Right? It’s like, “but hey! I’m here! Let’s try it again!” All of that aside, we know how quickly a market can change – as you point out. What didn’t work 10 years ago because internet connections were too slow would be a great idea today. The idea of marketing on Facebook a few years ago would have been laughed at by many but now it’s a major channel. Amen for your opinion, FWIW it’s worth a lot :) Thanks for the comment.

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan

    So when they say that, your respond could be…. ‘and what did they do with it?’

    Usually a silence follows and then you can begin :)

    • http://www.twitter.com/hanelly Andrew Hanelly

      Exactly, Ivan. Great, simple response to a terrible cliche we all hear to often. Thanks for dropping by with the wisdom.

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  • John O’Brien

    Here’s another quote for you…

    If Thomas Edison had been an MBA he’d have invented a bigger candle…

    So true it hurts

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