Ever had a great outside-the-box idea and then thought, “Yeah, but if I mention it, I’ll probably get fired.” I’ve had lots of them and, chances are, you have too. The problem is that the culture in many organizations these days, coupled with our risk-avoidant society, discourages most people from mentioning ideas that might disrupt normal routine, even if that routine is less than optimal. Besides, who needs the heartburn of having to defend an idea that everyone else might resist even discussing. Can’t you hear them now? “Jeez, if you bring that up, the boss will go crazy. Keep it to yourself.”
But the examples of lone individuals offering an idea, getting it rejected by the powers above and leaving to start a business based on it abound. Ross Perot, the founder of the billion-dollar company Electronic Data Systems comes to mind, not to mention Steve Jobs and the guys who started Home Depot. But outside of these black swans, think about all the great ideas, large and small that are lost by organizations because the person who thinks of it decides not to bring it up.
Occasionally, however, I come across someone who goes against the grain. And this time it is not someone with a great idea, but a leader who recognizes that those ideas are out there and wants to entertain them. Anne Ryan is the Deputy Secretary of Tourism for the State of Pennsylvania. She assumed the position several months ago, having come from the private sector. Recognizing that she would be a neophyte in a large bureaucracy, she made the following request to her staff, “Give me the ideas you think you could have been (or could be) fired for.”
Now I’m sure those ideas didn’t come flying in immediately. After all, her request was so outside the norm in the typical bureaucracy that it was bound to be treated with suspicion. But when you make a bold request like this, it is bound to at least open the door to some new ways of thinking. Many of the ideas in people’s heads about working more effectively are about reducing the pressures of work flow, simplifying processes, easing schedules, eliminating duplication and other changes that would lessen the sense of overwhelm so common in today’s workplaces.
Most of these ideas do not require big changes, just simple alterations. So, why not entertain them or, better still, just implement them without studying them to death. After all, the person bringing it up has been probably thinking it through themselves for some time, and how it will probably impact them. So, they wouldn’t bring it up unless they really thought it would be an improvement.
Of course, as a leader, you have to follow through if you open this door. Trust is hard enough to establish and maintain without asking for suggestions and then not implementing or even discussing them with sincere consideration. But why not take the opportunity to solicit ideas you know are probably out there if you were to just open the door. Consider the most effective leaders around you. Chances are, this is one of the ways they keep their team motivated, improve performance and retain the best performers.
What’s the best way you can implement this idea? If you already have, how did it go? What insights do you have for others about doing it too? Put them in the comments below.