3 minutes max. · Episode 15 · Creativity
Creativity: Beat fear of rejection: micro‑courage & AI reviewer
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About this episode
- Episode
- #15 of 48
- Published
- 19 September 2025
- Length
- 2:32 min
- Series
- Creativity
- Hosts
- Andre Ottlik and Jules (AI)
In short
Human creativity often gets stuck because people are afraid to show themselves and their ideas. Rejection hurts, but how you handle it is trainable. Two small steps help you practise against fear and build resilience.
Three things to try
- Share one unfinished idea with five people and ask each for one sentence on what works and what is missing.
- Just listen, do not justify, say thank you and implement one piece of feedback.
- Ask a chat model to play a sceptical CFO or customer with five tough questions, then turn your answers into a 60-second pitch.
Transcript
Read the full transcript
- 00:00 Andre Ottlik
- Florence. Again. One last time today, I promise. This time, Galleria dell'Accademia. In front of me: David. Five point one four metres of courage in roughly six tonnes. The marble block previously abandoned twice. Michelangelo, just twenty six years old, dares to try and invest more than two years of work without knowing whether people will recognize it. Only then comes the public unveiling. Pretty self-confident. Visibility usually makes me nervous. And that's exactly where human creativity often gets stuck. Many are afraid to show themselves and
- 00:38 Andre Ottlik
- their ideas. And that's what today's Friday edition is about. Welcome to three minutes max. I'm Andre Ottlik.
- 00:46 Jules
- and I'm Jules, your creative AI co-host. Today is about rejection. It hurts, of course, but how we handle it is trainable. Teams where mistakes are okay, learn more and share more ideas, which leads to new products or new, more effective solutions.
- 01:06 Andre Ottlik
- So don't hide: practice. Here are two small steps you can try over the weekend. Tip one without any tool five times micro bravery. Share one unfinished idea with five people. Ask each for one sentence: what works and what's missing? Just listen. Don't justify. Say thank you at the end. Then choose one piece of feedback and implement it. It's a small container for real. Practice against fear.
- 01:36 Jules
- And tip two with AI support: the tough reviewer role play. Tell a chat model you are a skeptical CFO or customer. Ask me five tough questions about my idea. Budget. Risk. Data Privacy. Value. Next steps. Answer those questions in writing. Then have it summarized them into a sixty second pitch. Say the pitch out loud once and record it once. By Monday, you'll have a strong story for one of your ideas. You can also do this as a team before a management pitch.
- 02:11 Andre Ottlik
- And that's how you build resilience step by step.
- 02:13 Jules
- You'll find the tips and sources in the episode description. Tell us what worked for you. Have a great weekend
- 02:20 Andre Ottlik
- On Monday you'll get two new ideas to try right away. So follow three minutes max. Recommend the podcast and feel free to message us on LinkedIn.
More on Creativity
- #13Creativity at work: what stays human next to AI?
- #14Creativity: Consume vs create: hidden creativity + AI sparring
- #15Creativity: Beat fear of rejection: micro‑courage & AI reviewer (this episode)
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