"I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking" — What It Really Means

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"I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking"

What they really mean

This idea is not getting approved, but I'm rejecting it politely

"I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking here, but we may need to pressure-test the concept against our current priorities."

"Absolutely not. But I want you to leave this meeting feeling 'heard' instead of angry."

Share this translation:

I'm hoping you forget about this entirely

I don't want to do this and I'm not going to

Nobody agrees on anything and we've been arguing for months

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