March » 2009 » Leave It To Weaver

Maybe

egg bound and gagged
Originally uploaded by jonny2love

Maybe you’re wrong.
Maybe they’re right.
Maybe you shouldn’t try.
Maybe it’s a waste of time.
Maybe you will fail.
Maybe it’s too risky.
Maybe you won’t get the job anyway.
Maybe you shouldn’t care.
Maybe it is impossible.
Maybe it isn’t worth it.
Maybe it won’t work.
Maybe someone else will do it.
Maybe someone else will step up.
Maybe it’s not your place.
Maybe you shouldn’t speak up.

Maybe, but how will you know?

Graveyard of Good Ideas

Graveyard
Originally uploaded by (Erik)

I was talking with a friend of mine, Steve, who made the comment that often good ideas go to the graveyard of good ideas in large corporations. The idea intrigued me. He has a point.

Over at Tim Jahn’s blog there is a great example of a good idea being sent straight to the graveyard. Why? Because ShutterBooth seemed more concerned about keeping up with their competitors than setting themselves apart. Plain and simple.

Think about it:

Anytime you’re told, “That’s a good idea. We’ll look into it.” by your manager, there’s a good chance your idea is going to the graveyard.
When a large corporation calls in consultants to advise them on what they can do to improve their workplace then pay the consultant and say, “We’ll certainly review your suggestions.”, those suggestions are on their way to the graveyard.
If there is no follow up on your presentation, your ideas are on the fast pace toward the graveyard.

So what to do if you have a good idea, but it seems destined for the graveyard? In my opinion you have a few things to consider.

Let it die. Sometimes a good idea isn’t that good at all. Be honest with yourself and others if you come to this realization and let it die.
Go around the naysayers. It might be your peer. It could be your manager. It really doesn’t matter. If you are persistent enough you can work around the naysayer. You just have to be smart about it. Get others on board. Slowly implement pieces of your plan. It can happen.
Establish trust. If you haven’t proven that you are trustworthy, or that your co-workers can rely on you to get the simple things finished, your idea won’t have legs. You may have the best idea in the world, but without trust, it will go to the graveyard.
Build a team around your idea. You may not be able to implement your proposals company wide, but you might be able to assemble a team (or tribe). Work within the parameters of your company, but work with your team to reflect your values, ideas, and goals for the company. If it flourishes, soon enough, everyone else will take note.

Have a great idea? Have some changes that need to be made? Are you working to improve your company? Make sure you’re doing what you can to avoid the graveyard of good ideas.

Foto Finish Friday

Navy Pier, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.

Most People Aren’t Paying Attention

I’m not here
Originally uploaded by aknacer

Most people aren’t paying attention.

Jay Leno exploits this fact and we all laugh along.

Go up to people on the street and ask who the finalists are on American Idol and most will be able to tell you. Walk into a grocery store and ask the cashiers the latest on Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, or Paris Hilton and many would be able to give you some information.

Ask someone who the vice president of the U.S. is and you may get a plethora of answers. Ask someone why they go to the church they go to and they may not be able to provide an answer other than they just always have. Ask someone who Abraham Lincoln was and what he accomplished and you may hear all kinds of clueless answers.

It’s not because of a lack of information. Human beings have never ever had so much information available to them at their finger tips. The Internet is full of information. Libraries are easily accessible. Books are being printed on anything and everything you could imagine.

So what’s the deal? Most people aren’t paying attention. At least when it comes to some of the more important things in life. What Britney Spears does tomorrow isn’t going to have an impact on your life. Yet half a million people follow her on Twitter and watch the shows that tell you where she is and what she’s doing every waking moment.

What makes you think people are paying attention to you? Are you getting through the distractions and noise? Is your business something people are paying attention to? Is your congregation being active in getting through all the noise? Are you providing a service people want and need?

Most people aren’t paying attention. You’ve got to realize that, then change it.

Desperate Times

they call me Mellow Yellow….
Originally uploaded by Amadika

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” ~ Unknown

I beg to differ slightly. Most of the time desperate times do not call for desperate measures.

Think about your own life. In your most desperate moments, what was usually the best reaction? Was it quick, desperate action out of the emotion of the moment or was it a clear, well thought out solution? I don’t know about you, but when I think about my more desperate moments in life, when I made a heat of the moment decision based on the emotion of the moment, I usually made a mistake. Sometimes that mistake made things even worse.

The person desperate for love and affection may take the desperate action of marrying someone that will make their life even more desperate.
The person desperate for spirituality, but unsure of how to obtain it, may take the desperate action of following a charismatic leader into a cult.
The person desperate for fast money may turn to spam and other unscrupulous activities.
The person out of work and desperate for a job may lie on their resume or application, causing themselves more headaches when some of the facts are checked out.

I could go on, but you get the point. Any more to add?

Foto Finish Friday

| happy days |, originally uploaded by winnie’s human.

It would seem spring is right around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready!

*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.

Leadership FAIL

Originally uploaded by Noah Kalina

When is it appropriate to suggest someone commit suicide? Is it ever?

“The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better about them is if they follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say ‘I’m sorry’ and do either one of two things, resign or go commit suicide.” ~ Senator Chuck Grassley (In response to the recent AIG bonus uproar)

When is it appropriate to suggest someone commit suicide? It never is.

I think it’s obvious the country and the world alike needs strong, committed leadership. Too often what were getting is empty, absurd rhetoric.

Red Line

Originally uploaded by Breath of Life

Back when I worked at Wal-Mart we had a practice we called “red-lining”. If we asked a cashier to “red line” we were asking them to go stand at the front of their aisle and attract customers to their register. In some stores there was an actual red line painted on the floor. The cashiers who did this when they were slow were always the most productive. The cashiers who hid next to their registers and rarely left their station to red line were the least productive.

The reason, of course, is simple. The cashiers who were aggressive and actively engaged in drawing customers to their line by standing out front were going to bring in more customers every time. Those who were timid or just too lazy to red line were going to be overlooked by the customer looking for a line to check out in.

In life, no matter what aspect, if you want to achieve much of anything you have to put forth some effort. You need to be aggressive and actively engaged. If you’re going to be productive you need to work to produce results.

It’s a simple and easy thing to understand, but too many choose to hide.

The thing is, in the busiest part of the day very few cashiers had to red line. The customers were lining up before the cashier could get a free moment. Economically we’ve had a good streak for some time now. Very few have been out of work. If you were jobless for very long, we’d most likely think something was wrong with you. It was busy and it was easier.

Today things are different. Things aren’t nearly as easy or certain. You’re going to need to be aggressive and actively engaged. You cannot afford to be timid, lazy, or unmotivated. If you want a job, if you want to keep your job, or start a new business you’re going to have to get out there and red line.

The Road You Travel

Walking alone
Originally uploaded by moriza

Where are you going? Are you happy about the road you have taken? Are you unhappy about the road you are traveling? Was it by choice? Was it by chance? Was it by circumstance?

No matter your answer to those questions, you can always stop. Then you can turn around or choose to go a different direction. It’s really much easier than people would like you to think.

So what’s my point? That you have a choice. Even if you’ve been traveling down the same road for years. You have the choice to change, to continue, to turn around.

“You can take a road that gets you to the stars, I can take a road that will see me through.” ~ Nick Drake