The Truth About Why They Dismiss You!

Read time: 2 minutes

Why Your Best Ideas Get Ignored? (And How to Fix It)

Neuroscience reveals our brains are wired to resist new ideas; it's called "the paradox of originality." Studies show:

• Processing Fluency Bias: Items that are fluently processed are perceived as more beautiful, truthful, valuable, and as requiring less cognitive effort. (Source: Personality and Social Psychology Review)

• Innovation Resistance in Teams: Employees’ creative ideas are often rejected due to perceived risk, ambiguity, or threat to group cohesion. (Source: Journal of Business Research)

• Fluency Misattribution: People often rely on processing fluency as an implicit cue for judgment, leading to overvaluation of familiar material. (Source: Processing Fluency, Wikipedia)

The Counterintuitive Strategies That Actually Work:

1️⃣ The 3x Rule:
Research shows ideas need to be heard at least three times before gaining traction. Start planting seeds early in casual conversations before the big meeting.

2️⃣ Strategic Timing:
A study found the golden window for influence: 22 minutes into a meeting when attention peaks but before decision fatigue sets in.

3️⃣ The Trojan Horse Method:
Frame your radical idea as supporting an existing initiative. Psychology shows people accept change more easily when it appears to validate current efforts

Your Action Plan Starts Now!

This week, try just one of these research-backed moves:

• Map the power grid— Identify who truly influences decisions (often not who you expect)

• Create FOMO—"Several VPs have been asking about solutions like this..."

• Use the magic question—"What would need to be true for this to work?"