Someone once said there are no bad ideas, just unexplored ones. Whoever said that didn’t know what he or she was talking about! I hear terrible ideas several times a month. In fact, there are bad ideas that can always be improved upon. However, what do you do when an employee has a terrible idea?

What you should say is the opposite of no. Nope, not yes- but I’ll consider it. Saying the word no means you are not going to consider the idea. You should always consider the idea, and then say no. And, avoid the word “no” when doing this. You want to say “I’ll pass” or “the idea isn’t a good match for us/me right now.”

No is offensive. Yes, there are going to be times when you need to be direct and use “no”, but the polite thing to do is consider the idea first, list reasons why you are passing and use an alternative word or phrase to “no”.

You don’t want people to feel as if you are personally telling them no. People hate rejection. So, don’t do it. Using alternative words will make the refusal less personal. In fact, it could make your employee rethink his or her approach or the aspects of idea. You might even gain a better idea because you suggested ways to the first idea wasn’t plausible.

The best thing you can do as a CEO is learn how to say “no” without ever actually using the word.