How to kill innovative ideas

It's one of those weekly meetings, the usual suspects in the room, except for the new hire. And the eager employee comes up with an idea that interrupts the flow of your meeting. Unfortunately, most new hires will encounter one of the following answers:

"We tried this before. The client doesn't go for it."

"I don't think we can handle this."

Why is this?

Especially weekly meetings are a breeding ground for unneeded efficicencies and re-establishing order. And, at the same time, kill ideas and demotivate everybody in the room.
Yes, you had time to go through your whole agenda and didn't waste anybody's time.
But you might have killed the spirit of a new hire and made sure that an idea (potentially good or potentially bad) was killed.

Instead of dismissing an idea, why not build your new relationship on these ideas?
Maybe this idea will not work out and you used 5 minutes of your time to think it through? But you showed interest in the ideas of your employee and started a conversation that will last throughout your relationship.
Is there even a choice?

It's ugly out there

There are 5.4 million managers leading teams in more than 30,000 U.S.firms. Unfortunately, most managers are inefficient and create a workplace disaster.

Harris Interactive interviewed 8,000 full-time employees and found these sad facts:

- One third of workers feel they are at a dead-end in their current jobs, and 42% say they are "trying to cope with feelings of burnout."
- Only 37% believe that their "top management displays integrity and morality."
- Only 29% say that their "top management is committed to advancing the skills of employees."
- Fewer than half say they "really care about the fate of this organization."

According to Accenture, 58 percent of U.S. managers are open to changing jobs and 30% are currently looking to make a change.

Most companies seem to forget that they should stand for more than gross margins, profits and short-term gains. These companies forget that their employees need more than a paycheck and healthcare.

Or as Howard Schultz from Starbucks said: "People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for , trust.”

(I guess Baskin Robbins has some issues: I found this picture on Flickr - the manager of Baskin Robbins closed the store and took a little nap. One of the prospective customers took a picture instead of getting an ice cream...)

Work should be fun

My father always said "Work is not supposed to be fun."
Respectfully, I disagree.

Work should be fun. Actually, one shouldn't be working at their current job if it's not fun.
Our job is to make it each work day fun. I'm not saying to plaster a fake smile on your face and proclaim to be having fun. But to find opportunities within your work day to have fun.
And that includes to make it fun for others. Which, in return, makes the work day more fun for us as well.

Sounds like uplifting bullshit? It's not. It's serious business. Your work life might depend on it.

Read Alexander Kjerulf thoughts how happiness in the workplace boosts productivity.

In the end, it's all about others. And, ultimately, you.

The ability to manage and to believe in the opportunity to make others better and greater than yourself are based in a strong, unwavering belief in humanity.
We often make the mistake to assume that the human experience should be a zero-sum game: When one wins, somebody has to lose. This assumption is not based in reality: When you're happy, I don't have to be sad. My success doesn't require your failure. The human spirit and experience leaves room for all of us to be happy, lead a fulfilling life, and enrich others.

Clearly, this does not happen to all of us. But, there's no law or rule that tells us it can't. Ultimately, our only choice is to devote ourselves to this ultimate goal: mentor and develop those people that will create and achieve bigger things we ever envisioned.

If you try to make others greater than yourself, you create an amazing situation: They become human giants while you morph into a spiritual giant.

Thank you to Steve Garber for this inspirational thought.

Being trapped

It sucks to feel powerless. You can describe this feeling in many ways: Not in control. I have no choices. I can't do anything about it. And, and, and...Being stuck is a strong emotion.

When you feel that way, you tend to shut down and not see any opportunities. Being stuck is the equivalent of being depressed.
Now, just to be clear, it's a very normal feeling. But too many people deal with trapped people by telling them that the future will be fine, that you're just being impatient, that you should just let it go and good things will happen to you.

I believe this is the wrong approach. If one your employees, friends or loved ones feel stuck, we need to communicate with them. We need to understand why they are feeling trapped. Once you understand that, you should take this opportunity to develop an action plan. Action is the only thing that counts.

If you do not act, if you leave them with some rationalizing thoughts, they will project their feelings onto you.

You feel trapped when you're in line at Best Buy waiting for customer service, and nobody even acknowledges you as a potential customer. Is it so hard to say: "I'll be right with you" or offer a bottle of water?

We can go from stuck to unstuck in numerous ways. Communication, and action are part of the solution. So take a deep breath, acknowledge the situation, and listen. Your brand, friend, employee will never forget you did.