Every person who had a brilliant idea never knew how it was going to happen at first. In fact, if they would have started with “How?” it would have killed the idea before it even had lift off. The worst question to ask when you or others are bringing ideas into being is “How?” If great ideas came with how they probably wouldn’t be that great to begin with. We have to replace the “HOW?” with “WOW!”

I have attended to many brainstorming sessions that dried up because too many people were asking “How?” before they let the idea get some WOW! The how questions kills creativity. It literally massacres greatness in the womb of gestation. The idea gets aborted because “How?” is asked too quickly and too critically. Great ideas aren’t great at first…they need time to be WOW’D. The best way to shut down innovation and creativity is to start asking “How?” before you start saying “WOW!”

Here are 3 things you need to know about HOW…

1) WOW Ideas To Life Rather Than HOW Them To death

The greatest buzz kill in creativity is critical thinking. In fact, the more critical you are the less ideas you will generate. If you knew “How?” you were going to do everything before you did it, you wouldn’t do very much in life. When have you ever known “How?” you were going to do everything before you started? NEVER! No one ever knows all the answers on the front end. WOW ideas by giving them time to develop and soar before you assassinate it with “How?” Fan the flame of creativity in you and the others around you.

2) Ask HOW Only After You Have WOW’D

Everything is about timing. Asking the right question at the wrong time can kill innovation. If you get the “How?” before the WOW you eliminate possibilities. Be ready to keep doing the same things because you’ll never break out of the status quo when “How?” is asked first. “How?” is a great question, but only when it is presented at the right time. You have to eventually know the HOW, but it must be asked in the right sequence. Mess up the timing and you’ll mess up the creative flow. Too many life-altering ideas are lying dead on a conference table because they were shot down in mid-flight by HOWERS. Howers, are the people that “HOW?” everything to death with critical thinking rather than creative thinking.

3) How You Ask HOW Makes All The Difference

How is a great question if the tone is correct. Say, “How?” with a positive tone and you’ll get positive results. Say it with a negative and critical tone (add the eye shrug) and you will be the death of possible greatness. The tone in which you ask “How?” makes the difference between progress and problems. When you let criticism and cynicism guide your “How?” you’ll destroy the dreamers in the room. In fact, if you are incapable of saying “How?” with optimism and possibility…don’t get around the dreamers. “How?” is a brilliant questions when asked with a how-can-we-make-it-happen attitude rather than a that-is-stupid-and-frankly-I-would-like-to-punch-all-of-you-for-coming-up-with-the-idea attitude. Your tone will either breath life into the WOW or absolutely kill it, the choice is yours.