Challenging the norms of Corporate America can be a daunting task. How often have you been asked by your manager to creatively think about a problem, only to find your hands tied? Sometimes it is the company’s predefined process that gets in the way, or it just might be your boss already has their mind made up on the solution. Is it a test to see if you can think out of the box or are you being set up to fail?

Take notice of how your boss has acted in the past with similar situations – dealing with others and with you as an individual. Is there a difference between how receptive they are when listening to new solutions in each example? If the boss consistently treats your ideas with little interest, it is time to do a critical review of the solutions you are putting forth.

To further test if the problem is your idea or they just don’t like you, bounce them off someone who will provide an objective view. If the ideas are viable, then your boss is either not receptive to change or may be discounting your personal contribution. If the feedback is positive from your sounding board, think about changing your approach to be more effective with your boss.

Let’s suppose the “think out of the box” challenge is something your boss believes is important and expects from you. It is time to step up your game. It is likely your boss and company are testing the organization to see what kind of creative problem solvers they have on their team. Ask them if they want to hear about all the ideas, or just the ones that may be adopted seriously. Sometimes those far reaching ideas can spur someone else to another idea. If you can, avoid judgment of ideas early in the process; the result may generate a break through solution. Some techniques to consider are brainstorming or day dreaming for generating your ideas. See which one works for you.