Let ideas in... but don't throw the window wide open

You know the type: leaders who decide everything themselves. No time for input, no interest in discussion.

Not out of malice, but “because it's faster” or “because otherwise things will go haywire”.

That's exactly what our negative commandment 8 on the poster is trying to get at:

“Block ideas, they create chaos.”

Sound familiar? Maybe. But unfortunately, it's also very limiting.

Because let's be honest: your team is full of ideas, insights and smart suggestions.

So the question isn't “whether” you give room for input... but how much room, when and about what?

Ideas are not anarchy

“Encourage initiative” sounds logical. But it does not mean you should give your team carte blanche.

Initiative only flourishes when there is a framework: clarity about the playing field.

🔹 Can anyone just suggest anything?

🔹What do we want input on?

🔹What has already been decided and is non-negotiable?

Without that framework, you end up with two extremes:

• Chaos (“everyone is shouting at once, no one knows what is allowed”)
• Silence (“they don't say anything anymore, because nothing is done with it anyway”)

Your role as a leader is therefore not to follow every idea, but to outline the framework within which ideas are welcome.

The playing field: provide direction and space

Ask yourself these questions:

• Where do I want to encourage ownership in my team?
• Where can employees make their own choices or suggest improvements?
• What are the rules (e.g., budget, time, preconditions)?
• How do I respond to ideas that fall outside the framework?

A strong playing field has:

✅clear frameworks (this is our direction, these are the boundaries)

✅targeted freedom (you can take initiative within that space)

✅clarity about follow-up (what happens to ideas?)

Once that is clear, people will dare to come up with valuable input. Even better: set up this playing field in consultation with your team. This will create support, commitment, and clarity from the start.

The gray zone: where friction occurs, something happens

Between “I decide everything” and “do whatever you want” lies a gray area.

That's where it often happens: new insights arise, opinions clash, there's friction for a moment — but something new grows.

As a leader, you don't have to control all of that in advance.

But you do have to be present in that field of tension:

• by listening
• by questioning ideas
• and by identifying what is possible, what is not, and why.

That is not a loss of control, that is shared leadership.

In summary: leave the window open, but put a frame around it

• Encourage initiative, but provide direction.
• Listen to ideas, but be clear about what will happen with them.
• Give space, but keep the rules clear.

Because yes, ideas sometimes cause friction. But that friction leads to progress.

📌 Which side do you choose?