We meet a horde of innovators inside big publishing companies. Many are frustrated with the old ways of doing business and others are discouraged by the pace of change, as they see so much opportunity around them.

Their challenge is getting “buy in” around their ideas — selling the right people to try something out of the ordinary, something that may cannibalize, embarrass or threaten some other part of a bigger organization. These are not easy times to risk your job on a crazy idea.

We are not experts on corporate politics, but we do offer a Vook for these courageous souls: Buy In: Saving your Idea from Being Shot Down.” The book by Harvard Professor John Kotter offers a five-point strategy for saving good ideas. At the core of that strategy is “respect,” and respecting people who are offering comments or asking questions that easily undermine support for good ideas. All of which is impossible without a positive mindset. Two other parts of that strategy also play on this positive mindset idea: (1) do your homework, which makes you less fearful, more confident, and more positive, and (2) watch the audience, not just those who seem to be pointing guns at you.

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