5 Ways to Pitch Innovative Ideas

Everyone asks for fresh ideas: Job recruiters. Mid-level managers. The CEO. But time and again, people find the ideas they’ve pitched being shot down. 

It certainly can get frustrating. Only one in four employees strongly agree that their opinions count at work, according to a Gallup poll.

It’s important not to take it personally when your ideas aren’t picked up, experts say. “The instinct to immediately shut down ideas comes from the amygdala, the part of the brain whose job is to keep us safe from perceived threats,” says Val Olson, a career and leadership coach at Korn Ferry Advance. Your manager may be overwhelmed with work, incentivized to keep the status quo and achieve short-term results, or hesitant to sell a new idea to upper leadership. Or the company culture may simply be less innovative.

But that doesn’t make rejection any less frustrating. Here, Korn Ferry’s experts suggest five approaches to overcoming it.

Think through the implications of the idea.

Whenever you pitch an idea, you should know the goal behind it, the solution it offers, its potential value to the organization, and whose support or influence it requires. If it doesn’t gain traction, are you willing to let go of it? Or are you so passionate that you have to pursue it? “Be sure to reflect on what the idea will require from you, the team, and the organization,” Olson says. “All of the above need to have the bandwidth for implementation to be successful.”

It’s also important to reflect on what pitching ideas means to you. If you’re a person who enjoys coming up with ideas for their own sake, but you don’t feel appreciated for them at work, find an alternative setting, like a side gig or a hobby, where you can play with ideas.

Find out why your ideas are getting ignored.

If your relationship with your boss or colleague permits, share your concerns. Ask why your ideas aren’t being well received. Career experts recommend soliciting feedback from your boss or colleague about what’s putting them off, as well as the specific reason they aren’t moving forward with your idea. They may not have noticed your frustration simply because they’ve been caught up in day-to-day tasks.

Mention that you may still be figuring out what niche is best suited to your strengths. See if you can take on some tasks that require creative thinking. Ask to jump in on a project whose momentum has stalled, or let leaders know you’d love to brainstorm with them in their next whiteboarding session.

Read the room.

If you lob an idea into a group meeting after a decision has been made, there’s a very low likelihood that it’ll get picked up. Suggestions need to be presented at the right time, in the right way, to the right audience. And—unfortunately—not every idea is a good idea, or even an actionable one. “Just because you have ideas doesn’t mean everyone else is going to jump on your bandwagon,” Olson says.

Find out what kinds of things do and don’t work.

While there’s certainly value to coming into a team with fresh eyes and ideas, a lot of time gets wasted when a new person tries something that has already been ruled out, for good reasons, as an option.

“As you get to know your new role, spend time finding out what the people who have been there longer have tried, and what happened as a result,” says Sondra Levitt, a Korn Ferry principal and leadership coach. “Dig deeper and learn why the experiment failed, or why the team decided to go in a different direction, and attempt to learn some pitfalls and organizational bottlenecks you can avoid.” Conversely, try to get to the heart of what made successes successful.

Seek more clarity on your role.

If leaders still aren’t receptive to your suggestions, career experts suggest getting clarity about what they hoped for when they hired you, and what they want you to offer. You may have to come to terms with the fact that the organization thinks it wants to change, but just isn’t ready to.

Consider looking elsewhere if your creative tendencies ultimately aren’t a good match for your working environment. Many ideas people make good entrepreneurs or consultants.

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s Leadership and Professional Development capabilities.

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