Week 2 in a three-part series about differentiation.
Last week:
Where do Ideas Come From?
We don’t have time to innovate.
Everything’s already been tried.We just aren’t a very innovative company.
Heard them all? Your team has. And the person who doesn’t hear, doesn’t recognize and doesn’t believe them is the employee that’s sure to be innovating. New ideas are everywhere. However, in some cultures, ideas must go into hiding for self preservation. Idea abuse is a real problem and can be recognized by the symptoms including cricket sounds when conference calls open up for questions, people hide their best ideas and people are used to hearing “no”.
Why is this?
What suggestion did your mail room employee just mention to his co-worker on the dock while taking in the daily barrage of Amazon boxes? What if their supervisor doesn’t listen? What if they do, but then their manager doesn’t? How can co-workers cut through the beauracracy quickly and prove ROI without being enabled?
The answer is that they can’t. Or if they can, they won’t.
Here’s the story.
An inspired and new employee has been mentioning new ideas to her boss for 3 years, one day a consultant came in and sold an idea to management. After a lengthy and expensive project, which failed, your new employee is livid. She even takes the time to analyze and report why the idea wouldn’t have provided value even if the project were successful. Yet her ideas go unnoticed, unrecognized by management and never realized by her coworkers.
This employee might muster up the courage to quit, or even look for a new position where their voice will be heard and valued. But maybe they won’t. Maybe they are the primary earner in their household and they can’t take a risk on a new job. In both of these cases this woman will keep quiet and do the minimum possible to complete her “duties as described”.
How can you break this cycle?
Some say new leaders are needed, some people think a feedback process might work. I usually go for something a bit more direct and impactful;
transparency.
Your employees need love and care.
People want to be heard, valued and rewarded. They want to be part of a team. Not just watching from the sidelines. So cut to the core, build systems of engagement that scale and stop silencing voices with process, approvals and hierarchy.
Next week: Culture as a measure for your ability to differentiate.
Cassy Lueneburg