The Doctor is In - Part 2

So you've decided that your department needs a B-12 shot - that you're lacklustre, need some motivation. Well here's the good news.

The good news is that it's easy to start your department generating and implementing ideas. Here's a few things you can do immediately to get the process started.

1. Build idea generation and experimentation into people's jobs. Review all your job descriptions. I'm guessing that idea generation and life-long learning goals are absent. And if you aren't officially asking that your employees do these things, how are they to know? Go on, review and update those job descriptions. It also gives you the opportunity to sit down with everyone to emphasize the changes - the new expectations.

2. ASK for ideas! Don't make the mistake of thinking that they will be naturally volunteered. If you get in the habit of asking, you will eventually get your employees to start thinking ahead or better yet, to start thinking more strategically. When they arrive at a meeting to discuss an issue or problem, they'll come with the expectation that they'll be asked for an opinion or idea.

3. Test some new ideas. Start small experiments. It doesn't matter how small or insignificant - just begin the process. If the ideas are "small" and don't work out, they're easily forgotten. Small "wins" lead to bolder experiments and bigger wins. Watch as your employees begin to take ownership for ideas and initiatives. Help them add value.

4. Share stories and experiments. In larger work environments, it's difficult to know what experiments are going on everywhere. Bring your teams together for lunch'n'learn sessions where you can share stories about what is working and what isn't.

5. Celebrate wins AND losses! Not every idea will be a winner. It's important to set up an environment where it's okay to occasionally fail with an idea. So celebrate the wins and learn from (and laugh off) the duds.

6. Teams Win, Coaches Lose. If an idea or suggestion goes well, give your team ALL the credit. If one bombs, you can help take the "sting out", by taking the blame. "I should have seen that coming" - or "I didn't think that one through very well". Then, share what you've learned from the failure.

There should only be two possible outcomes from your experiments; Success or a Lesson Learned. You win either way.

Let me know how it goes!