It is August so what better topic to write about that Santa Claus. It seems in our crazy consumer society it is never too early to begin discussing the holiday season.
I once worked with someone years ago who taught me a great lesson about innovation and how Santa plays into the process. Spoiler alert - this contains info for those who believe in Santa. Once, while this co-worker and I were talking he told me "sometimes you have to think like Santa Claus to get people to buy into new ideas." He had my attention. "You see, Rich, you don't have kids yet so this might not connect with you, but as a parent of little kids you can't take ANY credit for ANY gift. Even though you have bought, wrapped, and stayed up late putting the gifts under the tree, you have to sit there on Christmas Day with sincere joy and let Santa take ALL the credit. The gifts and that fun moment are not about you - they are all about your kids - and you have to fully accept that and be happy." His message was simple but a tough one to accept - don't worry about the credit, worry about the outcome. Yes, there may be some ideas that you may want to have your name on. However, most of us never invent something like the telephone or the light bulb. With that in mind, why all the concern with credit? Maybe it's time to focus more on the outcome and true goal, i.e. get ideas embraced, implemented, and have engaged and happy employees. That sounds like a pretty good gift to me!
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AuthorRich Trombetta is the President of The Innovation Company. Archives
May 2017
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