No Idea Is Bad

When a culture is centered around a willingness and freedom to make mistakes, accept them and learn from them, unforeseen progress can be made.

July 26, 2023

Orson Welles didn’t want to go to Hollywood and make a movie.

Each time a studio offered him a film contract, he said no.

All of his work had come from the theatre — both acting and directing — so when the studios called with their restrictions and ideas of co-producing, it became easy for him to say “No,” loudly and often.

Finally, at 25, Welles said “Yes” because RKO Pictures gave him a contract that was impossible to ignore. It wasn’t filled with money, but rather with authority and autonomy.

Welles was given complete control of his movie from start to finish without anyone even viewing his film before release day.

This was unheard of in Hollywood circles and caused resentment with RKO. There was a revolution within its top management team to prevent Welles from working, but it never manifested, and finally, Welles was able to release his groundbreaking movie, “Citizen Kane.”

Later, he was asked where he gained the confidence to ask for such autonomy.

“Ignorance!” he proclaimed. “Sheer ignorance, you know there’s no confidence to equal it. Only when you know something about a profession, I think you’re timid or careful.”

“When you come up through the bottom of the profession, you become afraid of being criticized for having tried something and failed,” he added.

Without knowing the procedures and protocols, Welles and his crew took chances. Without the watchful eye of RKO over his shoulder, he was free to experiment, allowing his curiosity to shape his movie.

Welles began working on Citizen Kane with the “No idea is a bad idea” mantra.

When a culture is centered around a willingness and freedom to make mistakes, accept them and learn from them, unforeseen progress can be made. When fear of failure is removed, brainstorming flows, thus allowing creativity.

When installing the “no idea is a bad idea” culture, some guidelines must be followed to maximize the results.

1. The only bad idea is the uninformed idea. Wasting time on uninformed ideas and a lack of preparation curtails progress. Once prepared, let the ideas fly.

2. Encourage questions. Never feel threatened. Good questions allow thoughtful answers. Always welcome questions.

Welles thought he could do anything with the camera that the eye could do or with his imagination created. He got away with enormous technical advantages, which he claims was “simply because he knew they weren’t impossible or theoretically impossible.”

When searching for creative ideas, form the “No idea is a bad idea” club like Welles.

Don’t fear failure.

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