I place a lot of weight on whether a person has "street smarts." A new study:
We throw the phrase around all the time, but just how common is common sense? Experts contend it’s essential to success and a new study shows us just what it is – and just who has it. In fact, according to a recent survey, 7 percent of Americans are said to have Common Sense Perception, or CSP – an uncanny and uncommon level of common sense…Though 74 percent of American adults say they have more common sense than most people.
99% of the time I love people who bring common sense ideas to the table. But we can’t forget about that other 1% of folks who bring that idea/solution that makes no sense at all, but turns out to be the breakthrough. I’m a big believer in fostering those seemingly crazy ideas before brushing them off. I’ve always admired the protocols at 3M (I think it was there) where at brainstorming sessions each person must follow the prior person by being an "angel." So if John Doe throws out an idea, the next person that speaks must back it up and support it in some way. The "angel" concept saves seemingly crazy ideas from being quashed right away.