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50 Cage Makers

By Peter Lloyd

You are an animal. You share a whole lot of your DNA with other primates. Even after chimps, bonobos, humans, and gorillas became distinct species, biologists say that 99% of your DNA lines up chromosome-by-chromosome. Of course, you are different. No other living species begins to approach your level of creativity. But you’re still an animal.

And if you examine your animal nature, you will discover some amazing things about yourself, which can help you improve the most powerful ability you as the human animal possess—creativity. You are alive today because you are a creative animal. So why haven’t you surpassed the creative achievements you’ve set as your goals? Why do Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci still out-shine you creatively?

Cages. Your wild, creative nature has been caged not unlike a zoo animal. I’ve identified four Cages of Context and have described them in detail in other Workouts. But in a flash of creative brilliance, my friend Dave Dufour has listed what he calls “Fifty Phrases that Kill Creativity.”

As a service to you, I present them here, slightly adapted, as 50 Cage Makers—statements and questions you hear all the time in response to new ideas. Notice how many you’ve already heard and think about how often you’ve heard them:

1. We tried that before.
2. Our place is different.
3. It’ll cost too much.
4. That’s not my job.
5. They’re too busy to do that.
6. We don’t have the time.
7. Not enough help.
8. It’s too radical a change.
9. The staff will never buy it.
10. It’s against company policy.
11. The union will scream.
12. Runs up our overhead.
13. We don’t have the authority.
14. Let’s get back to reality.
15. That’s not our problem.
16. I don’t like the idea.
17. You’re right, but...
18. You’re two years ahead of your time.
19. We’re not ready for that.
20. It’s not in the budget.
21. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
22. Good thought, but not very practical.
23. Let’s give it some more thought.
24. We’ll be the laughingstock of the industry.
25. Not that again.
26. Where’d you dig that one up?
27. We’re doing all right without it.
28. That’s never been tried before.
29. Let’s put that one on the back burner for now.
30. Okay, let’s form a committee.
31. I don’t see the connection.
32. It won’t work in our place.
33. The executive committee will never go for it.
34. Let’s all sleep on it.
35. That can’t be done.
36. It’s too much trouble to change.
37. It won’t pay for itself.
38. That’s impossible.
39. I know a person who tried it.
40. We’ve always done it this way.
41. Top management won’t buy it.
42. We’d lose money in the long run.
43. Don’t rock the boat.
44. That’s what we can expect from the staff.
45. Has anyone else ever tried it?
46. Let’s look into it later.
47. Quit dreaming.
48. What are you smoking?
49. That’s too ivory tower.
50. Too much work.

As shallow and innocuous as these Cage Makers are, they still discourage creative thinking, especially when they come from people in charge. But now you can use this list to defend your ideas. Read them again and prepare alternative comebacks to those you hear most often. That way, the next time some knuckled-headed, idea killer attacks one of your ideas, you’ll be prepared.

Peter Lloyd is co-creator with Stephen Grossman of Animal Crackers, the breakthrough problem-solving tool designed to crack your toughest problems.