Gosh, the subject needs a book. But a brief paragraph: A workshop on work group creativity years ago pointed out that people get more credit for intelligence and leadership when they respond negatively to others' ideas. I think we've all seen that dynamic. But when you confront a problem yourself or with a group, you usually have to shut off the critical mind and open the discussion to thoughts and ideas that could be easily dismissed at first. I've observed a few workplace tyrants who even used others' humor, acting as if it was meant seriously, to discredit others so they can then dominate the discussion. As a mentor once said, censor your censor to approach problems.
