Guest Commentary: I Have An Idea! - aftermarketNews

Guest Commentary: I Have An Idea!

On a daily basis, I would say that most organizations (and leaders) concern themselves with sustaining revenue (sales) and profit growth. The need to compete on a global stage is indeed here to stay.

The question and challenge confronting our industry is: How do we enhance our product offering, marketing programs, product development and improve current products?

Each morning, a power source of creativity, positive energy and ideas walks into your office. An important resource – your people! Are your employees aware that you want, need and seek their ideas? Have
you communicated your clear expectations regarding new ideas and that they are the key to the future?

Consider this: most ideas that improve company profits and growth are not generated in a lab. (Please note, I am not taking anything away from think tanks.) Many innovative concepts come from the employees in the trenches, doing the heavy lifting, fighting the good fight and serving your customers.

Is the quest for ideas and continuous improvement ingrained in the soul of your company culture? Are good ideas celebrated and rewarded?

Companies like Google and Apple successfully harness the creative juices and insight of their employees at every level! Ideas are contagious and spread with great force. Take smartphones, for
example. Ideas create magic and inspiration, a magnetism, if you will.

Plato was right when he said: “Ideas rule the world.” Ideas create positive electricity through the ranks of a company. Investigate how ideas influence your organization. The very strategy of a company can be changed by an idea! They create motion and juice. (Passion) An admiration of ideas is inherently a passion for change, it raises the level of participation and a shared desire to paint and develop the future.

Of course, it takes mental and emotional courage and confidence in your workforce, to open the gate of innovation. Can leadership accept the fact that not all ideas come from the top of the organization? We have witnessed the ego-driven leader, who can be an idea killer!

Unity of effort conquers most things in life. Innovation is like a seed that needs to be nurtured and watered each day by executive management. Trusting your employees will ensure that the tree called innovation will grow and prosper. The leaders of today have a duty in my opinion, to leave the organization better than they found it. Thus, the need to build a huge fire called employee innovation.

The spark is there; it needs human air in order to ignite. According to Bill Taylor in a Harvard Business Review article, the questions to ask are:
“Do you see opportunities the competition does not see?”
“Do you have new ideas about where to look for new ideas?”
“Can your customers live without you?”
“Are you consistent in your commitment to change?”
“Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?”
A question I will raise is: Do your employees know your value proposition and do they live it? Creativity involves creating a positive sense of urgency. A clear vision. Unlocking human potential by empowering employees at every level. To set action, risk taking must be in your company’s DNA!

Innovation is the engine to human progress. Yes, we live in exciting times and to ensure a better future, we must commit to innovation.

“The best way to create the future, is to invent it!” – Computer scientist Alan Kay

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