“If you want one year of prosperity, grow seeds. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people.” -Chinese proverb
Conventional or group thinking results in conventional results-something no business owner wants. With this in mind, what’s the best way for you to think to get the best results you want?
Beyond the obvious is that which is not obvious. Going beyond what is obvious requires you to think non-traditionally or unconventional in order to focus on the opportunities that will move your organization forward, not backwards or from being in a stagnant position. 21st Century leaders have the ability to make the most out of every situation. Being courageous and not afraid to challenge the status quo and to push the boundaries to make things better leaders need to look beyond today for where you really want to take your company in the future.
“Going beyond the obvious requires you to think differently” – Phil McKinney
Generating and executing great ideas is the key to staying ahead in a rapidly changing world. It seems so basic. Instead of corporate executives making the decisions for what ideas to accept or reject, let your employees make the decisions to use their thoughts, ideas and opinions as they are more creative and innovative than what leaders give them credit for.
Successful People Tend To Look Beyond the Obvious
“Leadership’s job is to groom that next generation. If you’re not doing it, you won’t get there.”
-Jonathan Kass
Looking beyond the obvious requires you to be open-minded, accept feedback, and to listen to both other leaders and employees with their thoughts, ideas and opinions. Specifically ask employees the question, “How are things going?” Listen to the responses people give. How can you work with employees to give them what they need to accomplish what matters most to the company?
Rethink the Way you Conduct Business
“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” -Pat Riley
Moving away from using traditional or conventional ways toward unconventional means leaders need to rethink how to conduct business different from everyone else to get greater results. By eliminating or modifying the rules, assumptions, beliefs and processes and procedures to reflect the way business is gives you a different way to take risks and opportunities for greater results.
Encourage Employees to Think Different
“Let no one or anything stand between you and the difficult task, let nothing deny you this rich chance to gain strength by adversity, confidence by mastery, success by deserving it. Do it better each time. Do it better than anyone else can do it.” -Harlow Curtice
Leaders need to change the mindsets of employees as underneath it all they have good judgment and the ability to make sound decisions that are imperative if an employee is to make the most of the opportunities that come their way.
Instead of using conventional or traditional thinking that will lead you to the same results you’ve been getting, encourage employees to think unconventional or non-traditionally. In doing so, you get all of your employees on the same page to create and develop a culture of creativity and innovation. As a result, your employees will be able to solve the problems, challenges and difficulties that sit in front of them. Let employees be the simplification to move your business to being productive and profitable.
Asking Questions
Gain control of situations by asking questions leaders want employees to ask.
Allowing your employees to ask thought-provoking questions and to have them generate ideas leaders and decision making will find greater results for breakthroughs your company has been missing. Too many employees in companies are held back from expressing their thoughts, ideas and opinions that letting employees do so allows for the creativity and innovation leaders want from your employees.
Raising the Bar
Leaders need to encourage employees to eliminate or modify the complexity within their teams in order to be more productive. This also requires teams to challenge each other beyond the obvious thinking they already have. By doing so, leaders need to not just challenge employees with generating greater results you need to keep your employees learning more creative ways to be innovative. This keeps your organization from lagging behind.
Using curiosity beyond what is obvious, leaders need to expand your horizon knowledge to lead your people for a competitive advantage. Encourage, strengthen, change the mindset and experiment allowing your employees to make mistakes and learn from them. These are the ingredients for a culture of creative innovation.
“Leadership is about coping with change” – John Kotter