What happened the last time someone brought you a new idea?
Did you respond with a "Yes, but..." or with a "What if...why not?"
Once you learned that nobody else had tried it, were you less interested...or more?
The answer can't always be "Yes!" Sometimes you must say "No" or "Not right now." But do you make "No" a learning experience so the next great idea isn't stillborn, locked away or, worse, taken down the street to your competitor?
Did you make that person an "innovation hero" for trying? Or do you reserve that status for budget target-hitters? In fact, who are your organization's heroes and what do they represent?
Feeling a lack of innovation? Maybe it's not 'them' out there. Maybe it's you.
And if 'they' are not thinking 'outside the box" (a term I've come to loathe...) maybe you built the box's walls too high.
Did you respond with a "Yes, but..." or with a "What if...why not?"
Once you learned that nobody else had tried it, were you less interested...or more?
The answer can't always be "Yes!" Sometimes you must say "No" or "Not right now." But do you make "No" a learning experience so the next great idea isn't stillborn, locked away or, worse, taken down the street to your competitor?
Did you make that person an "innovation hero" for trying? Or do you reserve that status for budget target-hitters? In fact, who are your organization's heroes and what do they represent?
Feeling a lack of innovation? Maybe it's not 'them' out there. Maybe it's you.
And if 'they' are not thinking 'outside the box" (a term I've come to loathe...) maybe you built the box's walls too high.
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