Remember that great idea you had a few years ago. On-premises daycare. How could you forget? You brought it up to your employer, and he made you feel like an idiot, right? “Did you ever consider the insurance implications?” he moaned, rolling his eyes.

Typical left-brain reaction. Shoot and ask questions later.

Well, today when you tell him you’re taking a job with his principal competitor, don’t forget to remind him of your on-premises daycare idea. Don’t forget to tell him that his competitor hired you and a lot of other better employees, because back when he refused to take on-premises daycare seriously, your new employer began doing her homework on the subject, and now she’s solved all the stumbling blocks...

Remind him that every idea falls somewhere between absolutely ludicrous and unbelievably brilliant. The idea is to move the less-than-brilliant parts of any concept toward brilliant. He needs to look at all ideas, find what works and amplify it. Take what doesn’t work and improve it. Advise him that if he ever wants to run with the big dogs, if he wants to innovate in the major leagues, he’s going to have to learn to stop rejecting ideas out of hand.

Remind him for all of us, will you, that your new boss offers flexible hours, job sharing, and work-at-home options, too. She’s open to all kinds of imaginative, right-brain responses to the needs of modern, two-income and single-parent households. And from now on, never suffer the indignity of having your ideas shot down. Not just for yourself, but for all of us. You were right then and you’re right now.

Dinosaurs like your ex-boss will eventually become extinct. But they will be replaced with a whole new breed of nincompoops unless you persevere in the fight for your ideas.

See also: The Dark Side of Leadership: Bosses Behaving Badly

Play Don’t Fence Me In by Peter Lloyd and Cole Porter

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