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Saying Yes to a Bad-Seeming Idea to Test It Cheaply

When an idea seems intuitively bad but its test cost is low, approve it as a cheap experiment instead of rejecting it on intuition alone.

20 min Intermediate

Goal

Address a common leadership pattern: instantly rejecting intuitively bad-seeming ideas, even though your intuition isn't always reliable proof, and their actual test cost is very low.

Steps

1

When someone proposes an idea you instinctively want to reject, pause before saying "no" and ask: what's its actual test cost (time, money, risk)?

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Expected Outcome

Immediate

An idea that would have been instantly rejected gets a real testing chance at low cost.

Evidence base

School: Behavioral Decision Theory / Innovation

Founders: Daniel Kahneman · Rita McGrath (2011)

Based on Daniel Kahneman's warning in "Thinking, Fast and Slow" (2011) against over-trusting intuition in high-uncertainty situations, paired with Rita McGrath's principle of "cheap reversible bets" in innovation management.

Frequently asked questions

How long does "Saying Yes to a Bad-Seeming Idea to Test It Cheaply" take?

This exercise takes about 20 minutes, practiced solo in a Written reflection format.

When will I notice the effect of "Saying Yes to a Bad-Seeming Idea to Test It Cheaply"?

An idea that would have been instantly rejected gets a real testing chance at low cost. In the short term: Within months, you discover a pattern: in which areas your intuition is actually reliable, and where it was repeatedly wrong.

Is "Saying Yes to a Bad-Seeming Idea to Test It Cheaply" evidence-based?

Yes — it draws on Behavioral Decision Theory / Innovation (Daniel Kahneman, Rita McGrath (2011)). Based on Daniel Kahneman's warning in "Thinking, Fast and Slow" (2011) against over-trusting intuition in high-uncertainty situations, paired with Rita McGrath's principle of "cheap reversible bets" in innovation management.

Is "Saying Yes to a Bad-Seeming Idea to Test It Cheaply" suitable for beginners?

Its difficulty level is: Intermediate. No external tools required — it can be practiced directly inside the app.

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