Part of having an attitude of innovation is trying out, testing and talking about new platforms and tools. A lot of times, we have to look at tools that we'd never even consider in our own personal lives. When times come when you have to brainstorm around a new platform or idea, it's imperative that you leave personal bias at the door.

Potentially Missed Opportunities

I almost missed out on a huge opportunity because of my own personal bias once .

As I've mentioned in the past, I used to be indifferent towards Pinterest. Late last summer/early last fall, I had heard of Pinterest from my wife. She would spend a lot of time on it while on her computer and all I saw were photos of dresses, cupcakes and crafts. Not really anything I'd be interested.

Later on, I was on an elevator with @juliacantor completely dissing Pinterest. Seriously, what was the point? Why should I care about the site? I couldn't wrap my head around:

• Why would anyone want to just make boards of random images?
• What use is it for a guy to know how to use it?

However, due to Julia's prodding, I gave it a shot. Out of spite, created Board of Man and found a lot of success on the platform - while having a lot of fun along the way. If I'd let my own personal bias get in the way of strategy, I would've been left behind a year ago.

Different People Have Different Tastes

Sometimes, new platforms and ideas come to the table that don't make sense to us every time. If something doesn't appeal to us right away, we will tend to write it off in the back of our minds. As marketers, it's the most dangerous thing we can do. Just because we don't like a platform or don't see the value in it on the surface, doesn't mean we should completely write it off.

I liked @nickjayres approach I mentioned in this post. When evaluating something new, you have to look at it with an open mind. In that same respect, it's good to look at new ideas and tools and discover what those things can accomplish that our current tools can't. Sometimes exploring a new platform with an open mind will help us look at old tactics through a new lens and breathe life into what we're already doing.

What about you? When evaluating new tools and ideas, does bias get in the way of progress?