Knock Down Your Ideas (or Someone Else Will) – Your Shot of Fearless Culture #372

Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.

Apr 09, 2025

“Aren’t you afraid of taking so many risks?”

People ask me this all the time – they wonder how I deal with openly sharing my work in progress.

Lately, I’ve been writing my next book in public.

I shared a couple of raw, unedited chapters. I’ve posted some tools before testing them. I even facilitated a workshop using the model while the book is still not finished.

Every other week, my friend and colleague, Myriam Hadnes, and I host an unscripted session where we talk about the messy journey of writing our books: The fun, struggles, and back-and-forths. We also challenge and support each other.

I don’t have a special superpower - neither am I immune to fear.

I’ve just developed a habit that helps me face the fear of sharing things before they’re “done.”

It started as a personal challenge. Then it became a discipline.

The idea is simple: I’m the fiercest attacker of my own ideas.

Not because of self-doubt, but to avoid falling in love with my own ideas.

Inspired by Christian Madsbjerg’s work, I try to knock down my ideas before anyone else does. It’s not self-sabotage, but intellectual discipline.

When you do your homework, you stop fearing how people would react.

Your idea might not be perfect, but you will be more receptive to criticism, feedback, and even praise.

When you’ve knocked down your own ideas, there’s nothing left to be afraid of.

This is one of seven lessons leaders can learn from philosophers.

In the age of AI, critical thinking is not just a nice-to-have skill. It’s your sharpest edge.

Explore this week’s newsletter:

My latest article → 7 Ways Thinking Like a Philosopher Will Make You a Better Leader
Join our global culture pulse
Practical tools and prompts to sharpen your thinking

Stay fearless, my friend.

Gustavo

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Don’t let AI think for you. Instead, use it to challenge your thinking.

Use these prompts to knock down your own ideas:

“Act as my harshest critic. Here’s my idea: [insert idea]. What’s wrong with it?”
“Assume I’m overly attached to this idea. Convince me to kill my darlings.”
“List the hardest questions I should ask about this idea – especially the ones I might avoid.”

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Being receptive to opposing views — why it matters

The four types of thinking leaders need to practice and teach

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