You may recall a Fed-Ex commercial from a couple of years ago where a business has it’s team seated around a conference table discussing ideas on how to stream-line costs. The executive at the head of the table opens up the floor for discussion and brainstorming. A junior team member meekly throws out the idea that opening an account with Fed-ex would save the organization ten percent on online express shipping. There is deathly silence as no one comments. The idea is dead in the water. Meanwhile the team leader has a light bulb go off. He says, “How about this: We open up an account on Fed-ex.com and we save ten percent on online express shipping!” Everyone around the table begins to affirm the brilliant idea. “Great!” “Perfect!” “Just what we needed!”
John G. Miller states that “an organization’s success depends not only on its people but the quality of its ideas. How do you streamline, grow, and achieve your goals?” How do you achieve your objectives? Ideas! What makes an idea good is not “who said it” but “what it can do for the organization.” Organizations must caution against allowing the source of an idea to carry more weight than the merit of the idea itself. It is important that you nurture a culture that encourages input and sharing where you benefit from the experience and wisdom of every member because “good ideas are the lifeblood of all exceptional organizations.”
That gives me an idea. Until next week….
Adapted from Chapter Twelve of John G. Miller’s Outstanding: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional